Naftali of the Royal Family 'American Dream' feat. Thabiso

Naftali of the Royal Family 'Keep Pushin' feat. Thabiso at Tagore's

poetic collage

Poetics South Africa "Afrika Is Me" Session @ Bolo Bolo

InZync 2014 Autumn Slam (AmaZink, Kayamandi)

Lexical Semantics: Bela Bartok and the Devaluation of Ethnomusicology

I assume you expect to hear from me, during this presentation, a commentary or account of the content in the essay by Bela Bartok, “The Influence of Peasant Music on Modern Music” (Bartok, 1931), as well as a description of what ethnomusicology is, along with it’s history.  For purposes of keeping within the academic frame, let me not call it an assumption and rather an educated guess (lexical semantics at play from the onset).  I, however, have decided to approach the problem from a different perspective, that is, to look at how lexical semantics might have led to ethnomusicology being regarded in some circles as the lesser sibling in the musicological family.  Indeed the task at hand requires me to at least answer, even if in passing, those more obvious questions stated above.  Why have I decided on this approach?  Quite simply, I don’t believe we’re here to describe or rehash music history.  My thinking is that we are here to offer opinions, question and think critically on musical events, ideologies, history and music self.  In this vein I offer my most humble opinions.

The People Under The Sea.

If no human has ever seen a living giant squid, if we don’t know when and where “…the most gargantuan beast the Earth has yet produced…” breeds, if we have better maps of the surfaces Mars and the Moon than we do of our ocean floors, if there could be as many as thirty-million species of animals living under the sea, if we’ve only sent humans to the very bottom of the ocean once, in 1960, in a metal ball with small windows and no lights, is it too far a stretch of the imagination to entertain the possibility of intelligent life under our oceans?  (With all due respect to them, I’m not speaking here of dolphins and whales, I mean creatures with some or other form of technology).  And if we choose to entertain this inane suggestion, could we not also presume that they are mightily pissed off at us landlubbers? 

Turpitude.

Draconian Alliances buy blackface

with straight hair wrapped in patronising doeks

Another Nation Corrupted

by bald heads rested on impudent, gold threaded pillows

Out of the question!

Freedom Friends fight fiercely for forgotten faces in fancy footwear

while a Congress Of The People bickers over two old faces

 Definitely not!

Azanian People are yet to Move Pan African Consciousness

Prospects are dimming.

Yet still, I shall play along.

Mosiac

my heart is like my mouth, always open

my mind is like my sleeve

cut up into separate sections

be smart, unlike the doubt, laying hopeless

we’re blind despite the grief

cut up into separate sections

For The Poor, By The Poor.

Painting by Thabiso Phepeng, "Jozi".

http://www.southafricanartists.com/showartist.asp?WorkID=66606

Cape Town, 1983, Tricameral Constitution: in addition to the House of Assembly (whites), two separate assemblies are created for coloureds (House of Representatives) and Indians (House of Delegates). 

This is why some "Coloureds" and some Indians and many white people still have a sense of their being superior to Africans in South Africa.  Yes, these days they hide it well.  Political correctness has taught them to grin and bear the darkie, the black, the kaffir, to hold their tongues and watch their manners until they get home, but unfortunately hate and contempt aren't things that a person can easily hide. 

Hi Jack

Jesus Is Not On A Mountain

Truth Be Told (Part 2)

Untitled Piece (So I Swore) - Live

Truth Be Told (Part 1) Live

Who Is Eugene? (Live)

Er ... Eish, I Forgot.

I feel I need to make something clear, for the sake of my sanity and for the sake of exposing artistic and more specifically, poetic charlatans.  

Hip Hop Resident

#AftertheSunset

So I went to this cool film screening this past Tuesday hosted at Radar Advertising Agency in Cape Town.  The organisers, Tiisestso Molobi and Mangaliso Sobukwe, decided to give the screening the apt title “After the Sunset.”  We were also lucky enough to have a conversation after the screening hosted by Dr Olusengun Morakinyo with Mme Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge as the honoured guest.  The film on show was a two and a half hour documentary, “Death of Apartheid.”

A few things struck me as interesting as I was watching the film:

Kwela from Hip Hop to Poetry Sessions: Tshwane Street Culture & Music.

My life as a performing poet has seen me travel across South Africa in search of poetry sessions where I can share poesy with those willing and able to hear and listen.  During these travels, I have observed similarities in the cultures, or sub-cultures, and music of said sessions.  These include a preference for hip-hop culture and dress as well as hip-hop music, particularly conscious rap.  These observations have led to the current endeavour or excursion, in which I ask the questions, “Has American hip-hop culture and music impacted on South African street music and culture?” and “Is this influence a new occurrence?  Are there other examples of South African musical culture being influenced by American music and culture?”  Another question that glared at the writer from the onset is, “What philosophical socio-political questions are raised by this transcultural exchange?”