Name: __________________________________

Period: _____

Methods of Resistance

Margin Notes

Resistance Through Music

Vocabulary
Communal Shared by all
members of
the community.
Implementation -

Putting a plan
into effect.
Embodiment A visible form
of an idea.
Townships Designated
homelands in
South Africa

In the 46 years that the system of Apartheid was in place, the resistance
movements evolved from loosely organized unions of non-violent
protestors to powerful and armed coalitions such as the African National
Congress (ANC). Throughout every stage of the struggle, the liberation
music both fueled and united the movement. Song was a communal
act of expression that shed light on the injustices of apartheid, therefore
playing a major role in the eventual reform of the South African
government.
Hendrik Verwoerd was prime minister of South Africa from 1958 until
his assassination in 1966. Often called the Architect of Apartheid for
his role in the implementation of Apartheid, Verwoerd was the subject
of a protest song composed by legendary
composer Vuyisile Mini. The song, titled
Ndodemnyama we Verwoerd (Watch
Out, Verwoerd) became one of the
most popular songs in South Africa.
Minis soulful compositions and
booming bass voice led him to emerge as
one of the most powerful organizers of
the resistance.

In the words of poet Jeremy Cronin

Song had become an organizer, and
(Mini) was the embodiment of this reality (Hirsch 2002). The singing of Mini was a
statement of protest and a tribute to the strength of freedom fighters. That song sounds like a
fun song, said musician Hugh Masekela, but its really like Watch out Verwoerd, here comes
the black man, your days are over
Forced removals under the Group Areas Act and Bantu Resettlement Act (1954) forced millions
to migrate from their homes to live in native townships. The laws divided South Africa into
zones, in which members of only one racial group could live. Most remarkable was the
destruction Sophiatown, a community west of Johannesburg that is often compared to Harlem,
New York City for its lively arts, politics, religion, and entertainments. In 1955, army trucks and
armed police removed 60,000 people from Sophiatown by to an area designated for Africans.

Name: __________________________________

Vocabulary
Oppressed Subject to
harsh
treatment
Evoke Bring to mind
Solitary Existing alone
Conduit Something
used to
transport
something else
Intrinsically Belonging
naturally

Period: _____

Sophiatown was rebuilt as white suburb called Triomf, the Afrikaans

word fortriumph. The removals sparked the creation of a song called
Meadowlands, in reference to the Meadowlands township to which
many Sophiatown residents were forced relocate.

Margin Notes

The lyrics express the devastation of the evacuation: we will move all
night and day/to go stay in meadowlands/youll hear the white people
saying/lets go to meadowlands. Recordings by Nancy Jacobs and Sisters,
as well as famed singer Miriam Makeba popularized the song, which was
composed originally by Strike Vilakezi. The international performances
of the song allowed international audiences a window into South Africa,
and expose the injustices suered by oppressed racial groups.
In 1964, Nelson Mandela and other leaders of the Anti-Apartheid
movement were sentenced to lifelong prison sentences. It was during
this transition to violent resistance that music was often talked about as a
weapon of struggle. A song called Sobashiyabazali (We Will Leave
Our Parents) became one of the most popular songs sung at the MK
training camps. The lyrics evoke the sadness of leaving home, as well as
the persistence of freedom fighters:
We will leave our parents at home
we go in and out of foreign countries
to places our fathers and mothers dont know
Following freedom we say goodbye,
goodbye, goodbye home
We are going into foreign countries
To places our fathers and mothers dont know
Following freedom

The reflection that music was played not only to strengthen existing communities, but to unite
members of communities that were in supposed opposition to one and other was shown when
the British and African national anthems were combined after the end of Apartheid.
Music does not create political change as a solitary force; rather, it is a conduit for change
that stirs a community into action, expresses and calls attention to oppression, and bridges the
divide between people of dierent cultures. Nothing in sound is intrinsically revolutionary,
rebellious, or political. Music can serve as both an expression and a critique of culture, and as
such has the power to inform, influence, and instigate change.