Mbaqanga

Mbaqanga (also Township Jive ) is a 20th century style of music in South Africa that combines Zulu traditions with modern soul, jazz and reggae influences. Mbaqanga is originally the name of a simple maize porridge that was the main food for many poor South Africans.

Mbaqanga originated in Soweto in the early 1960s and has been played at dance events and other happy festivals from the start. The most important pioneer of the style is the Makgona Tsohle Band . It's a lively sound that takes up elements of the Kwela , is easy to dance to and is close to Afro-Pop, but sometimes also merges smoothly into Reggae as with Lucky Dube .

In 1986, Malcolm McLaren made an attempt to make the Mbaqanga known in Europe . He licensed twelve recordings by Mahotella Queens , Dark City Sisters , Mgababa Queens and Irene & The Sweet Melodians , all originally released in 1974 by the Mavuthela Music Company , and released them on the compilation Duck Food (Earthworks Records). The Mbaqanga then gained international fame through Paul Simon's album Graceland (1986), which is heavily influenced by Ray Phiri's guitar playing and the singing of Ladysmith Black Mambazo .

Other important representatives of Mbaqanga are Yvonne Chaka-Chaka , Sipho Mabuse , Mahlathini and Stimela .

The sung version of Mbaqanga that originated in the 1950s is Mqashiyo and a variant formed as South African pop music in the 1980s is Bubblegum music.

literature

• Lara Allen: Mbaqanga. In: Grove Music Online , 2001