Township Music in South Africa

Instructor:  Brian Higgins, Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science, College of Engineering

Description: The course will trace the roots of township music that arose during the Apartheid era of South Africa (pre 1994).  The specific music styles that we will study are Marabi, Kwelo, Mbaqanga, and the evolution of South African jazz by such masters as Hugh Masekela, Abdullah Ibrahim, Chris McGregor, Basil “Manenberg” Coetzee, etc. Students will have an opportunity to listen to rare music clips from 1930-1960’s; we will discuss how music became the voice against Apartheid, and describe life in the townships that the musicians had to endure. We will also review history of Soweto and other townships such as Mamelodi, Manenberg, and Cato Manor. We will study the importance of Sohiatown in the development of South Africa music during  the 1950’s, as well as the slum yards of Johannesburg.  Sohiatown was bulldozed by the Apartheid government in 1963 and its inhabitants were forcibly moved to Soweto. The instructor will provide audio clips, and reading material from In Township Tonight by D .B. Coplan,  Chris McGregor and the Brotherhood of Breadth  by M. McGregor,  Marabi Nights by C. Ballintine,  and Beyond the Blues  by B. Breakey.

The course is aimed at non-music majors.  Music majors welcomed though.

Format: The seminar will meet once a week for one hour. The time will be divided between lecture presentations by the instructor, discussion and student participation. Audio and video recordings will be used frequently during presentations.  Grading: Students will be required to prepare two short papers (5-8 pages) on the course topics.  One paper must be on a music style. The course grade will be based on submitted papers (50%), oral presentation (25%) and class participation (25%) . Grade will be P/NP.

About the Instructor: Dr. Brian Higgins is a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering.  He grew up in South Africa during the Apartheid era and attended illegal jazz concerts in the black townships during the 1960’s. His research interests are in the fluid mechanics and stability of thin film coating.