The Good, The Bad and The Legacy of Kwaito
This article investigates kwaito music’s role in revitalising South African youth. Kwaito is more than a music genre; it is a cultural movement reflecting the experiences, aspirations, and challenges of youth in ekasi (South African townships). With the genre’s decline in popularity after 30 years o...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Noyam Journals
2024-11-01
|
| Series: | E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://noyam.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/EHASS20245157.pdf |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1823860462138163200 |
|---|---|
| author | Madimabe G. Mapaya Thulani G. Zulu |
| author_facet | Madimabe G. Mapaya Thulani G. Zulu |
| author_sort | Madimabe G. Mapaya |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article investigates kwaito music’s role in revitalising South African youth. Kwaito is more than a music genre; it is a cultural movement reflecting the experiences, aspirations, and challenges of youth in ekasi (South African townships). With the genre’s decline in popularity after 30 years of prosperity, it is crucial to explore, analyse, and document its positive and negative histories, particularly its legacy. The enlisted exploratory methodology involved content analysis of scholarly articles, books, and online data, including YouTube interviews and documentaries about kwaito. Data collection also included interviews with key South African music industry figures such as former record executives and musicians. While scholars examine kwaito from various disciplinary perspectives, key figures in the kwaito community feel their contributions are still under-represented. This highlights a gap between academic and journalistic accounts and the personal experiences of those deeply involved in the kwaito culture. This article concludes that kwaito significantly influences black youth by promoting self-expression, community cohesion, entrepreneurial enterprise, and introducing new role models. It emphasises kwaito‘s impact on South African culture and music, contributing substantially to the discourse of African musicology. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e38dbd3c56e24175ace939abac047c39 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2720-7722 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | Noyam Journals |
| record_format | Article |
| series | E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-e38dbd3c56e24175ace939abac047c392025-02-10T14:21:08ZengNoyam JournalsE-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences2720-77222024-11-015158190https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20245157The Good, The Bad and The Legacy of KwaitoMadimabe G. Mapaya0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2444-3645Thulani G. Zulu1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4280-5427University of Venda, South Africa.University of Venda, South Africa.This article investigates kwaito music’s role in revitalising South African youth. Kwaito is more than a music genre; it is a cultural movement reflecting the experiences, aspirations, and challenges of youth in ekasi (South African townships). With the genre’s decline in popularity after 30 years of prosperity, it is crucial to explore, analyse, and document its positive and negative histories, particularly its legacy. The enlisted exploratory methodology involved content analysis of scholarly articles, books, and online data, including YouTube interviews and documentaries about kwaito. Data collection also included interviews with key South African music industry figures such as former record executives and musicians. While scholars examine kwaito from various disciplinary perspectives, key figures in the kwaito community feel their contributions are still under-represented. This highlights a gap between academic and journalistic accounts and the personal experiences of those deeply involved in the kwaito culture. This article concludes that kwaito significantly influences black youth by promoting self-expression, community cohesion, entrepreneurial enterprise, and introducing new role models. It emphasises kwaito‘s impact on South African culture and music, contributing substantially to the discourse of African musicology.https://noyam.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/EHASS20245157.pdfkwaitokasisouth africacultural phenomenonmethodologymusic scholarshipsocio-political context. |
| spellingShingle | Madimabe G. Mapaya Thulani G. Zulu The Good, The Bad and The Legacy of Kwaito E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences kwaito kasi south africa cultural phenomenon methodology music scholarship socio-political context. |
| title | The Good, The Bad and The Legacy of Kwaito |
| title_full | The Good, The Bad and The Legacy of Kwaito |
| title_fullStr | The Good, The Bad and The Legacy of Kwaito |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Good, The Bad and The Legacy of Kwaito |
| title_short | The Good, The Bad and The Legacy of Kwaito |
| title_sort | good the bad and the legacy of kwaito |
| topic | kwaito kasi south africa cultural phenomenon methodology music scholarship socio-political context. |
| url | https://noyam.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/EHASS20245157.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT madimabegmapaya thegoodthebadandthelegacyofkwaito AT thulanigzulu thegoodthebadandthelegacyofkwaito AT madimabegmapaya goodthebadandthelegacyofkwaito AT thulanigzulu goodthebadandthelegacyofkwaito |