I decided to highlight the song “Liyashizwa” or “It is Burned” for my song share this week. Artists Pete Seeger, Guy Carawan, and Garrett Morris obtained this song from the The African National Congress in 1959. In the recording I have provided, the piece is performed in its original Zulu language. 

This song was composed to demonstrate resistance to the apartheid in South Africa. To provide historical context, the apartheid was a rigid system of racial segregation introduced to South Africa in 1948. It is interesting that a song with a message of opposition to a domineering social system has such a cheerful melody and “bouncy” rhythm. The song also relies heavily on the repetition of lyrical phrases. I selected this song due to the presence of rich harmonies; the piece appears to be arranged into a choral bass-tenor-alto style that is very familiar to the western ear. Thus, the consonance of the intervals employed among the vocalists are very pleasing. A chordophone that I would assume to be a guitar provides the only instrumental accompaniment. 

Link to Song: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIodAEloejU

Sources:

“A history of Apartheid in South Africa.” South African History Online, 

https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/history-apartheid-south-africa.

“South African Freedom Songs.” Smithsonian Institution,

https://folkways.si.edu/south-african-freedom-songs/struggle-protest-world/music/album/smithsonian.