Dust of the Zulu: Ngoma Aesthetics after Apartheid
Louise Meintjes is Associate Professor of Music and Cultural Anthropology at Duke University and the author of Sound of Africa!Making Music Zulu in a South African Studio, also published by Duke University Press.
TJ Lemon is an award-winning photojournalist based in Johannesburg.
The Unwavering Voice: Affect, Eloquence, and the Moral Anger of Men
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Published:July 2017
This chapter explores ulaka (anger), an affect related to the aesthetic value of isigqi (power), to argue the eloquence of the ngoma body-voice. Starting close in by detailing singular moments of artistry, the analysis attends to the strident timbre of the lead voice (team captain), comparing individual versions of the expression of ulaka. Ulaka is a sense of propriety, a justification to act, such as in response to a sung or danced provocation. Ulaka is also sought and cultivated kinetically. The technique of pushing the body to the edge while holding its movement just in control mirrors the principles of...
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