First Name:
Meredith
Last Name:
Fann
Major Department:
Communications, Public Relations
Thesis Director:
Susan Mills
Date of Thesis:
May 2011
The rich history and character of South African people can be personified through music. Traditional South African music consists of recurrent themes of hard work, valuing family, praise, and sometimes lament. Then, with the apartheid era from 1948 to 1994, songs for freedom and change were brought to the forefront. These songs provided comfort and a symbol of resistance for people under brutal discrimination. Exploring the features and meanings of South African music allows for the opportunity to seek a new perspective and better understanding of diverse people in a united movement. This thesis draws from many scholarly sources in varied disciplines to demonstrate music's integral place in South African culture. Song is so deeply embedded into South African people that they cannot help but to offer music to the world stage. Further research concerning the role of music as a unifying communication tool considers black South African emotion during the time of strict white South African politics. Overall, South African traditional and popular music have served as the storybook for the rest of the world to read about the South African life experience.