This book examines the profound legacy of Johnny Clegg (1953-2019), the South African musician, anthropologist and cultural activist who revolutionised the nation's musical landscape. From his groundbreaking collaboration with Sipho Mchunu in the 1970s through to his success with Juluka and Savuka, and as a solo artist, Clegg navigated apartheid-era censorship while reshaping South African cultural politics.
Drawing on unprecedented access to archival materials and band member interviews, this interdisciplinary research analyses Clegg's unique position as both scholar and performer. The study presents three critical interventions: an examination of his synthesis of music, dance and political philosophy as embodied resistance to apartheid; an analysis of his transnational impact and navigation of the global cultural boycott; and an investigation of cultural appropriation and decolonial practice through his engagement with, and reinterpretation of Zulu traditions.
Situated at the intersection of ethnomusicology, anthropology and African studies, this volume offers fresh theoretical frameworks for understanding cultural hybridity and postcolonial performance. It positions Clegg's work within broader discussions of race, power and cultural production in the Global South.
Daugiau informacijos
This interdisciplinary study critically examines South African performer and scholar Johnny Cleggs cultural hybridity, resistance to apartheid, and broader impact on South African identity and politics.
List of Illustrations
Preface
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1 Theres a song to be sung: Critical reflections on the music and
influence of Johnny Clegg Michael Drewett and Lucilla Spini
Part 1: Johnny Cleggs engagement with life in South Africa
Chapter 2 The unheard live recordings of Johnny Clegg and Juluka: Listening
to Cleggs early career within the context of alternative popular music in
South Africa Lizabé Lambrechts and Pakama Ncume
Chapter 3: Woza moya omuhle: Johnny Clegg and Sipho Mchunus unifying
cross-cultural brotherhood Andrew Grant Innes
Chapter 4 Johnny Clegg as interlocutor of African culture: A thematic
analysis of a selection of his songs Martina Viljoen
Chapter 5 Johnny Clegg and the poetry and politics of migrant labour
Richard Pithouse
Chapter 6 The praise names of Johnny Clegg Sipho Mchunu and Andrew Grant
Innes
Part 2: Global reception
Chapter 7 Johnny Clegg and the cultural boycott in the United Kingdom
Michael Drewett
Chapter 8 Johnny Clegg: Le Zoulou Blanc in France Lucilla Spini
Chapter 9 Lost or misconstrued: Johnny Clegg in Hollywood Chris Letcher
Chapter 10 Digging for some words: Johnny Cleggs academic experiences in
North America Lucilla Spini and Andrew J Friedland
Part 3: Transitions in Johnny Cleggs music and life
Chapter 11 From Juluka to Savuka: Johnny Cleggs changing compositional
practices Caleb Mutch
Chapter 12 What we dont see: The afterlives of Asimbonanga Nicol
Hammond
Chapter 13 Clegg is cancelled? Johnny Clegg and questions of Zulu cultural
appropriation Brett Houston-Lock
Chapter 14 King of time: A lament for Johnny Clegg Marguerite Coetzee
Contributors
Index
Michael Drewett (Editor) Michael Drewett is a professor in the Department of Sociology at Rhodes University, South Africa. He is co-editor of Popular Music Censorship in Africa and Peter Gabriel: From Genesis to Growing Up.
Lucilla Spini (Editor) Lucilla Spini is a bio-anthropologist and sustainability expert and is Senior Research Fellow at the Italian National Research Councils Institute for Heritage Science (CNR-ISPC), Rome.
