Critical Review- Amandla!

Amandla!

The film gives testimonies of the role of music in the black revolution against apartheid in South Africa.  Music was essential to the revolution in many ways.  It kept spirits up, united the people, spread messages, and provided an outlet of emotion, among other things.  Many of the interviewees—composers, musicians, actors, and freedom fighters—spoke of the importance of music to them and the how it helped them through the tough times.  The fight against apartheid was arguably fought more through music than it was through violence, as these singers used their words more effectively than any other weapon.

What I found most interesting was the way in which one man described how much music permeated his life.  He described how his mother would come home with no money to buy food and sing a dirge, rather than complain or weep.  Another woman described singing for fallen comrades in battle rather than weeping, in order to keep spirits up.  This was a vivid example of how large of a role music played in these peoples lives.  We use music in America to spread messages, but in a very different way.  Is there any equivalent output of everyday emotion in America?  Is the use of song to express these emotions effective or does it limit the singer’s ability to get their message across?  Would South Africans consider this “music” or simply an everyday expression of self?

Coplan Critical Review

            Coplan addresses the rise of popular music in South Africa and the course it has taken up to the present day.  South African musical development was both hindered and aided by apartheid, as the segmentation made it hard for artists to collaborate while at the same time this separation thus allowed for many different styles to emerge.  Musicians took queues from genres such as Christian choir music, American jazz, and North/West African traditional music.  Coplan, however, made it very clear that South African musicians almost always created a syncretic genre.  The formation of new music, and the South African music “scene” in general, was largely aided by mass movements of people to cities such as Johannesburg and Kimberley in search of profit from natural resources.

            I found the ways in which South African Music was aided by these mass migrations to the mining cities particularly interesting.  Although almost all of the major players in the emerging music scene were present in South Africa before the migrations, the musical developments and exchanges made would not have happened without the cities or outlets for expression that they created. (i.e. canteens, bars, house parties etc.)  The effect of urbanization on musical progress has been a recurring theme this year, though I wonder if there is any modern example of this?  Is the internet the closest thing that we have today, and with the creation of the internet, will “new cities” or “urban movements” hold less weight than they once did, since we are all already connected via the world wide web?