Izikhothane: to go or not to go?

Txa Manyalo: constructive role playing between conflicting social paradigms of marriage in post-apartheid South Africa

Lenyalo or wedding as some call it is no longer a normal platform of eternal union. Unlike with past generations, the word marriage is no longer synonymous with sharing, love, kindness and friendship; it has become for our generation; an antonym to all the virtues it used to bring. Getting married is now feared by many and everyone has different explanations and plenty opinions about it. While some use plain words in normal conversations to say this, some use sermons in church to preach, some go with music as an instrument. We are all in need of answers and as everyone continues to  try in vain to find a solution, somewhere in Sekhukhune land; Limpopo province - a new artform has emerged amid all the distress and confusion. Started by young energetic artists turned musicians; this genre is something to take notice of. It doesn't have to be in your collection; at least try to listen and engage on the messages embedded in this music. Perhaps the answer to some of the questions you have been asking yourself for many years within this century might just be found herein.

The music; simply known as "Txa Manyalo" by those who dance to and take advice has become a household name after the now quite genre of the early '90's Kwaito came and went to God knows where with the emergence of the House music entourage led by Radio station DJ's and later almost anyone who concurred. Txa manyalo is a combination of traditional Sesotho sa Lebowa/Sepedi songs given a facelift by studio mixed electronic beats and a rhythm that leaves the typical rural village resident "stepping" ecstatically when the music plays. Among the household names of this genre is artist turned musician known as Pleasure.

The first time i heard about this new sound was coincidentally at a relative's wedding somewhere in the dungeons of Ga Molepo. Being naive like anyone who spends 80 percent of his life in the concrete jungles of the city i initially took this genre for a joke. But it wasn't the music that i initially took for granted -  it was the music video shoots these artists take to compliment the sound that is recorded on compact disc. Since most of them use home studios and the locations in the videos are usually real and live events and scenes from rural villages across Sekhukhune land, i guess i was fooled into believing that they had no chance of making it to the mainstream music platform until i heard the music play on SABC radio stations such as Thobela FM. Plus this music has a following.......jerrrrr...and errr.....before i get carried away allow me to mention that it isn't the quality of the music and motion which i want to emphasize here.

I took interest in this music and began paying greater attention when i heard most songs are orgy with social commentary which might sound somehow controversial in post apartheid South Africa where the institution of marriage as we have come to know it; has completely collapsed. Or has it not? Ever wondered why couples get married this month and file papers of divorce three months later? Has it ever occurred to you that something has gone terribly wrong with young males and females of our generation? Black Eyed Peas's "Where is the Love" might not be relevant here; however with the high rate of divorce, constant violence between the genders escalating we really need to ask where is the love. What happened to the love displayed by our grannies and gran-dads who took it up to 90 years plus of marriage? Is that a possibility or mere fantasy for you my brother and sister? Yes i am aware "times have changed" and we live in different era and YES; the challenges might be different but are we so obsessed with material things that the focus is no longer on grooming a society that one can be proud of to call their own? Whats going on?

As many of us continue to pose these questions in a quest for answers Txa Manyalo music is also here to offer us a perspective. From songs such as mosadi ke lefotwana(a woman is bird ling), sekgametse, sebodu just to mention a few; artist turned musician Pleasure and many others have dug deep into current societal thinking and are surely offering a perspective which could help explain the challenges we face as a generation. As some refer to it, tying the knot isn't about tying anymore; its disastrous, coercive; short lived and you just need to look around where you live at present to know this. No one wants to get married anymore? Those who do go into it with wild; misguided intentions? The message to those who attempt or plan to get married in the near future is usually nyala o nyele. Is that really true?

Txa Manyalo: constructive social role playing between conflicting paradigms of marriage in post-apartheid South Africa

Lenyalo or wedding as some call it is no longer a normal platform of eternal union. Unlike with past generations, the word marriage is no longer synonymous with sharing, love, kindness and friendship; it has become for our generation; an antonym to all the virtues it used to bring. Getting married is now feared by many and everyone has different explanations and plenty opinions about it. While some use plain words in normal conversations to say this, some use sermons in church to preach, some go with music as an instrument. We are all in need of answers and as everyone continues to  try in vain to find a solution, somewhere in Sekhukhune land; Limpopo province - a new artform has emerged amid all the distress and confusion. Started by young energetic artists turned musicians; this genre is something to take notice of. It doesn't have to be in your collection; at least try to listen and engage on the messages embedded in this music. Perhaps the answer to some of the questions you have been asking yourself for many years within this century might just be found herein.

The music; simply known as "Txa Manyalo" by those who dance to and take advice has become a household name after the now quite genre of the early '90's Kwaito came and went to God knows where with the emergence of the House music entourage led by Radio station DJ's and later almost anyone who concurred. Txa manyalo is a combination of traditional Sesotho sa Lebowa/Sepedi songs given a facelift by studio mixed electronic beats and a rhythm that leaves the typical rural village resident "stepping" ecstatically when the music plays. Among the household names of this genre is artist turned musician known as Pleasure.

The first time i heard about this new sound was coincidentally at a relative's wedding somewhere in the dungeons of Ga Molepo. Being naive like anyone who spends 80 percent of his life in the concrete jungles of the city i initially took this genre for a joke. But it wasn't the music that i initially took for granted -  it was the music video shoots these artists take to compliment the sound that is recorded on compact disc. Since most of them use home studios and the locations in the videos are usually real and live events and scenes from rural villages across Sekhukhune land, i guess i was fooled into believing that they had no chance of making it to the mainstream music platform until i heard the music play on SABC radio stations such as Thobela FM. Plus this music has a following.......jerrrrr...and errr.....before i get carried away allow me to mention that it wasn't the quality of the music an motion which i want to emphasize here.

I took interest in this music and began paying greater attention when i heard most songs are orgy with social commentary which might sound somehow controversial in post apartheid South Africa where the institution of marriage as we have come to know it; has completely collapsed. Ever wondered why so called couples get married this month and file papers of divorce three months later? Has it ever occurred to you that something has gone terribly wrong with young males and females of our generation? Black Eyed Peas's "Where is the Love" might not be relevant here; however with the high rate of divorce, constant violence between the genders escalating we really need to ask where is the love. What happened to the love displayed by our grannies and grandads who took it up to 90 years plus of marriage? Is that a possibility or mere fantacy for you my brother and sister? Are we so obsessed with material things that the focus is no longer on grooming a society that one can be proud of to call their own? Whats going on?

As many of us continue to pose these questions in a quest for answers Txa Manyalo music is also here to offer us a perspective. From songs such as mosadi ke lefotwana(a woman is bird ling), sekgametse, sebodu just to mention a few; artist turned musician Pleasure and many others have dug deep into current societal thinking and are surely offering a perspective which could help explain the challenges we face as a generation. As some refer to it, tying the knot isn't about tying anymore; its disastrous, coercive; shortlived and you just need to look around where you live at present to know this. No one wants to get married anymore. Those who do go into it with wild intentions. The message to those who attempt or plan to get married in the near future is usually nyala o nyele. Is that true?

Whats the difference between Traditional African religion and Christianity?

A very inspiring discussion took place on SA FM’s Morning Talk on the 24^th of September 2013. In the guest list was a panel of experts and those included Mr Ntshangase -  a retired lecturer at the University of Kwazulu Natal and Chief Sefogole Makgeru – deputy Chairperson of the House of Traditional Leaders. By conception the discussion was relevant given the fact that South Africa was celebrating Heritage Day – a day that was formerly known as Shaka Day and since adjusted into Heritage Day with the dawn of democracy in 1994. The question asked: what is the difference between Traditional African religion and Christianity? was pertinent to present day South Africa where we have a diversity of belief systems manifesting themselves into different religions.

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It is very interesting the topic of religion and given the sensitivity of the topic, it was to be expected that the discussion would become heated. But what is the difference between Traditional African religion and Christianity? According to Christianity, believers are taught to connect to God through the one and only son of God Jesus Christ. 

In contrast, Traditional African religion puts emphasis on praying to God through the ancestors who due to their perceived spiritual essence, are acknowledged as a closer link to God. But it doesnt stop there, on the one hand, Christians have been taught to believe that the manner in which Traditional African religion connects with God is inappropriate and thus there is a need to “repent” or “convert” or “be born again” -  a call that appears, at least from where one stands, more subjective than fair. 

It is this sort of persuasive language that leaves one with more questions than answers given the fact that on the other hand, there is less evidence to suggest that Traditional African religion perceives Christianity as inappropriate. In the Christian faith, there are quite a number of words and concepts used to refer to other religions as inferior.  Words like “demons”,” heathen” and “pagan” have been recorded in the Bible – which is instrumental in Christianity. 

Although some people have gone on to deny Christianity calls Traditional African religion names, it became clear that there is a polarity of views within the Christian cohort. We could sense that when one caller who claimed to be a Christian smsed “ Traditional African religion is demonic period, for one to connect to God they need to be cleansed with the blood of the only messiah – our Lord Jesus Christ” but the laughter that came from Chief Makgeru and Ntate Ntshangase suggested otherwise. According to Chief Makgeru: “African religion is not a church, its a way of live. You don’t need an instrument like the Bible or a Koran to connect to God. It is a home grown faith similar to breathing and therefore was never necessary to go to  church to pray, its all in the  nature of humans that they know there is a higher being connected to them via the spiritual world: Modimo ”.

The question posed, as provocative as it is, is quite heavy given the fact that there is a dominant worldview that suggests one religion is better than the other. If one was to ask people who follow the Christian doctrine; it is to be expected that the perspective would be skewed towards their choice of religion and vice versa. Through the information explosion that came with the missionary education that was brought to Africa and other parts of the world during the hey days of colonisation and subsequently, Apartheid; it has become a normality for the Christian faith to present itself into a religion “of all” and ultimately; the perception since then has been that for someone to connect with God; they ought to pray God through Jesus Christ. One interesting caller on the radio show responded to the question by claiming that the main purpose of missionary education was not to belittle other religions but to merely teach what the Bible had purported ought to be exported to other nations in the world, for enlightenment?

The connection one can trace between the vociferous conquest of broad based education by western nations into Africa and the belittlement of the existence of African religion by this sort of subjective Christian worldview is immense and has caused so much tension, wars, terror  and the eventual hatred between human beings; in particular Africans. In the world today we continue to see a battle of ideology in religion between religions such as Islam, Judaism and Christianity just to mention a few. This battle, one could claim, has nothing to do with natural competition but the desire by one religion to rule over the other. And this has been so since the earliest centuries.  

As we continue into the 22^nd and 23^rd centuries, one wonders whether the hatred that has become between people of different religions will ever cede? There is no religion that is better than the other, that’s a subjective worldview, retorted Ntate Ntshangase. It became clear from the discussion that day as Chief Makgeru concluded, that “the differences in religion will be with us for years to come”. 

What we have gathered thus far is that the only way to a peaceful future of religious justice is for people to be tolerant towards each other.  For most people in the Traditional African religion, the future means that they will have to learn to live with the damage that has been done by certain quarters of the Christian faith. As already divided as we are in the African nation, it would be crazy for anyone to suggest those who have been converted and influenced by the Eurocentric way of life would suddenly revert back to Indigenous Knowledge Systems. By the same token, it is unacceptable that in a democratic society like South Africa, the perception that Traditional African religion is inferior continues to manifest amid the many attempts made since 1994 to address the injustices of the past. It is clear that Christianity is instrumentalist and persuasive in nature while Traditional African religion is introvert and non-partisan. Let everyone stick with what works for them and continue to learn from one another as one human family.

Rainbowism: a concept of wraps and traps

Will the problem of racism ever end in South Africa? South African society seems to be at odds when it comes to issues of cultural identity. After much work had been done by different stakeholders since the birth of a democratic society in 1994, the progress made seems to backtrack every-time racist tendencies protrude themselves. This is against the backdrop of an ideology which the democratically elected government of the day proclaimed and the masses embraced. In the following discussion we ask: does the rainbow nation exist? For many, rainbow ism remains an ideal concept for nation building but at what cost to the cultural identity and liberties of individual race groups?

The Rainbow Nation is a concept that was coined by Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu after the success of the national elections in 1994. The concept was further elaborated by the then president Dr Nelson Mandela when he proclaimed:  "Each of us is as intimately attached to the soil of this beautiful country as are the famous jacaranda trees of Pretoria and the mimosa trees of the bush-veld - a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world". What this simply suggested was that from 1994 on-wards, South Africa would become a united country where everyone was represented by the colors of the rainbow, united in diversity. Although the concept earned the respect of many, both black and white, this move by the newly elected government came as a bit of a surprise to certain sections of the black community radical voices of black community. 

For sections of the white community, rainbowism was a advantageous in that it did not only dash some of the hopes that black radical thinking had during the fight against apartheid - a thinking which suggested that blacks were "going to chase away whites towards the sea after the struggle against apartheid was won". Of course, this radical thinking was not only a black thing since there also existed voices of dissent and radical white conservative thinking. During apartheid, Pan Africanist and Black Consciousness Movements were founded to align members of the black community with a political ideology which reinforces self knowledge and self pride. This political ideology was by then appropriate given the many decades of colonization where African cultural identity was nullified as barbaric and belonging to the dark ages. Has the struggle for cultural affirmation being won since 1994?

The idea of introducing the issue of race and racism in South Africa to this blog to try and understand the qualms, misconceptions and perpetual stereotypes which exist within society today. And although the discussion was not meant to be exhaustive, the amount of wording already here suggests that there is so much to be questioned, so much to be investigated, so much to be empathized as long as we dont go off topic. So, before i get carried away by the magnitude of the racism problem in South Africa allow me to make reference to Professor Louise Mabille's recent racist remarks regarding rape. 

After 20 years into a democratic dispensation, South Africa is still home to individuals in the white community who still perceive blacks as inferior and therefore deserving of the insults such as the one which Professor Louise leveled against blacks and in particular black culture. From where i write, it seems like the problem of racism is complex and transcends many dimensions. That still, the dimension i intend to highlight has more to do with the broader political ideology which was introduced by the then incumbent president Dr Nelson Mandela; who contrary to what many black political radicals in movements such the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) and the Black Consciousness Movement(BCM) thought would happen -  and that is "sending all whites back to their homelands via the sea". When that did not happen, many of those who were affected and  traumatized by decades of apartheid rule had hoped that the process of healing through reconciliation that was started by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission(TRC) would give justice where its due. But all of that did not happen. In fact looking back, for many in the black community in 2013, the TRC was nothing but a slap in the face mockery kind of an exercise which did nothing to sort out the social, political and economic problems emanating from the past.

Since the ideology of "forgive and forget" was advocated for, problems for the South African population have escalated more than subsided. Every-time a white person calls a black person a baboon and a black person calls a white person master, local black residents fight, loot or even kill non South African black people from Ethiopia or Mozambique  we are reminded of a reality that many have lived to deny for twenty years: South Africa is divided and we are living an illusion. Say whatever you like about social cohesion but the phenomenon of claiming social cohesion or unity or reconciliation through dubious measures such as sport is not working. No one can deny the fact that blacks and whites attend different sporting codes in stadiums and when that happens; we all seem united. Is that an illusion? With that in mind it is important to understand the ideology of rainbowism against that backdrop of the critical question of whether the ideal has helped restore pride and dignity of black people as the previously disadvantaged bloc or served to reinforce(sort of cover up) some of the racist beliefs white South Africans became notorious for during colonization and apartheid periods?

#Online Presenter Search hosted by Flo - Top 3 Polokwane SABC Sports Presenter Set

Embedded in this post is a video clip created by a local artists once a part of the BWARF movement's initial top six executive members - Onkabetse Flo Hlabyago. Now a graduate in Media and  Communication Science, Flo is out there carving a name for herself. A dream she has had for twelve years. WOW!!!

The most vivid memory i have of Flo is the meetings, interactions and sessions we used to have with other fellow artists like Noko a.k.a Camilleon and Mercy a.k.a Concrete Ground  at the University of the North now University of Limpopo, Mankweng Campus. She was always clutched  in a guitar and spotted dreadlocks almost similar to those of the late Zimabwean musician Chiwoniso Maraire.

In this latest video clip she introduces us to her newly found passion; which is presenting. She is participating in the Top 3 Polokwane SABC Sports Presenter Set. Congratulations to her and the many others who came shared the same passion for art when BWARF was still in its prime, now plying their trades in different career fields and disciplines.

The moral of the story here is: children hold on to your dreams, as musician Wee Gee once sang.

And as the saying goes;

ONCE a BWARFer ALWAYS TALENTED...WORD!!! 

Musicality of the word

Music plays a central role in every human's life. By composition, music was created to serve a particular purpose. As many would relate, the nature of music is that the composer plays both the role of a scribe and a performer. This post is going to introduce the reader to the type of music artists in the BWARF movement listened/listens to, explain the allegiance to this type of music and most importantly review the music video embedded in this post. The ultimate aim here is to highlight the relationship between what others often refer to poetry and that which others call hip hop. What are the similarities? Any differences?


Type of music
Throughout BWARF's trotting of Limpopo province's landscape, music has always played a central role. It is not surprising to note that most of the preliminary engagements between local artists at our weekly poetry sessions would include introducing new members, the state of the arts and culture industry, the exploitation experienced by artists, the line up for that day and most importantly; what everyone who was part of the movement was/is listening to and by that i mean the type of music they had in their MP3 players, mobile phones and computer hard drives - that is music.

For BWARF, hip hop has always been the number one choice. And by hip hop we are not just talking hip hop, but Underground Hip Hop -  a mixture of ghetto life experiences, jazz, gospel djelis and hard hitting lyrical content marinated with cultural, social, political and economic commentary. It cuts across cultural, social and economic divides. For those in the crucible, listening to one type of genre was never encouraged and so the slogan was always "explore the adventure like End Beginnings". Suffice to note that our understanding of the concept underground simply means the raw often uncensored not easy to find on the mainstream media type of music for obvious reason: its too educational to be allowed to dominant the Free Market Economy.


Allegiance with hip hop
As the mission of the movement stated, our role was to create a local platform from where artists can grow and this meant that a visit to our sessions encouraged artists to share what they were listening to and that in itself helped shape and increase their music collection. Perhaps our love for hip hop was/is also inspired by the fact that out of all available genres in the world, hip hop captures black culture and talks the musical language taught by the socio-economic conditions we face as a black nation worldwide. Of course we were/are poets and authors; not Mcees although the two are closely inter-related and separation thereof could mean a death of either one of them.

Music video review
Anyone who listens to Underground Hip Hop should know who KRSOne, Zac De la Rocha and Last Emperor are. Perhaps considered heavy weights alongside Public Enemy, Rakim, Wu Tang Clan, Afrika Bambaata & the Zulu Nation, Grand Master Flash, these three Mcees are known for writing and reciting lyrics that are astute in observation and politically relevant in a time when the black nation is under siege from forces hard to identify? Wonder why i chose this music video in the first place? Hip hop is a spiritual genre; meaning; it allows the third eye to protrude and shine the way when things arent going right. BWARF was/is a movement of symbolic resistance and we were/are activists through the spoken words we scribed/scribe and "by all means necessary". So now lets look at the lyrics as Zac De la Rocha introduces: "...and shatters the calm of the day/like an alarm/so wake up brad and you/take up arms...".

As one would imagine, the existence of secret societies on the planet is a reality we wake up to everyday. As the content in the lyrics attest, secret societies like the CIA(Central Intelligence Agencies) or Criminals In Action as the Mcees call it appear to have a dual nature. On the one hand the public knows that the main objective of secret societies like the CIA is to gather intelligence for national security reasons but according to the assertion made by these three Mcees and many other activists of the underground, the CIA is simply saying one thing and doing the opposite -  and this is often manifested in; like Last Emperor retorts "as the Free Market Economy of Crony Capitalism advance", the  selling of "rocks" is orchestrated and encouraged against the democratic principles of constitutionalism and social liberty as represented by nations such as the United States of America. And all this, as KRSOne remarks; is: "all in the name of intelligence gathering?". 

Does that ring any bells or listeners will take this music video for just another unreasonable tounge lashing cum forever whinging attitude of artists in the underground? Be that as it may, the content is as was/is as prophetic as the words written in the Bible. The last line of verse "in the new millennium/there will be no central intelligence"  in the music video by KRSOne illustrates this prophecy. Since the birth of hip hop after Jazz and Reggae as an instrument of inspiration and a symbol of black resistance, freedom of expression and the promotion to access to information through art; the new millennium has seen a rise in new social movements of resistance against secrecy and censorship. Who would have thought an organisation like Wikileaks for instance; would ever emerge and continue the resistance on a scale that its founder Julian Assange has come out and given us a new interpretation of resistance, using new ways nogal? Who would have thought Edward Snowden; a agent of the NSA in the United States; would bow the whistle and  reveal so much about CIA surveillance programs to a point where the world super power(US) was left bitter and shaken; fearing the unknown?

Its is clear from the points highlighted above that the power of Underground Hip Hop is endless. That the genre plays a vital role in our everyday lives. The fact that hip hop is able to come forward against the world's most powerful systems and secret societies is indicative of its intellectual form and the inspirational nature of the music given the existence of problematic social paradigms, oppressive political and economic systems across the world.