Princess Magogo

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Princess Sibilile Mantithi Ngangezinye Magogo kaDinuzulu (* 1900 , † November 21, 1984 in Durban , South Africa ) was a daughter of the Zulu King Dinuzulu kaCetshwayo (1868-1913) and Queen Silomo. She made a name for herself as a composer, musician, singer and as a preserver of traditional Zulu music.

family

Her grandfather was Cetshwayo , who ruled as the last sovereign king of Zululand from 1872 to 1879. Her father Dinuzulu kaCetshwayo , who had been crowned king in 1884 as a youth, had only limited power after the victory of British colonial troops over the Zulu. He was succeeded by Magogo's brother Solomon , who was born in 1901 during the British captivity of Dinuzulus on the island of St. Helena . In 1926 Princess Magogo married Mathole Buthelezi. Her son Mangosuthu Buthelezi (* 1928) became chairman of the Inkatha Freedom Party and from 1994 to 2004 South African interior minister.

Career

Princess Magogo devoted herself mainly to traditional music of the Zulu. She played various African instruments, sang songs that she had heard from ancestors and developed them further, composed and worked as a musical storyteller. After getting married, she broke an unwritten rule for Zulu women: she performed publicly and succeeded. She also dared to sing Isicathamiya songs, which until then were traditionally reserved for male choirs. Magogo's work was noticed internationally and broadcast on foreign broadcasters, such as the WDR .

reception

The South African composer and professor of African languages Mzilikazi Khumalo created the opera Princess Magogo , the first opera on isiZulu . She combines African musical tradition with her drums, wild dances and folk songs with European traditions and shows scenes from the eventful history of her people based on the life of the king's daughter. So that viewers who were not capable of isiZulu could understand the texts, they were displayed in translation on banners above the stage set at the premiere in Durban.

Honors

  • In 2003 Princess Magogo was posthumously awarded the South African National Order Ikhamanga in gold for her life's work.
  • In Durban, a stadium was named after her, where mainly football matches are played.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Princess Magogo at South African History Online [1]
  2. ↑ A royal coronation in Africa . Chapter in Adolf Schiel : 23 years of storms and sunshine in South Africa . FA Brockhaus publishing house, Leipzig 1902.
  3. ↑ [2] / The Diva and the Princess in a press release by Deutsche Welle
  4. ↑ opera Princess Magogo on Youtube: [3]
  5. ↑ Princesse Magogo Stadium in: European Football Magazine : [4]
personal data
SURNAME Princess Magogo
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Princess Sibilile Mantithi Ngangezinye Magogo kaDinuzulu; Magogo ka Dinuzulu
BRIEF DESCRIPTION South African Zulu princess, composer, musician, singer
DATE OF BIRTH 1900
DATE OF DEATH November 21, 1984
Place of death Durban