The Land Is Sung: Zulu Performances and the Politics of Place

In the lands of and around South Africa, Zulu dance and song has held important cultural, societal, and eventually political roles that has often been underappreciated—with elements of ritual directly connected to indigenous, ancestral roots. This is an ethnography, an anthropological experiential form of research, that explores the many characteristics and history of these cultural phenomena alongside their importance to today’s era. The book reveals how this cultural elements have been used to mobilize justice and continue ties to ancestors in the face of apartheid. Readers will encounter these themes and many others such as education, ethics, environmental activism and sustainability, art in general, and more. The author is a professor of art and music and writes in a way that brings out the spirit of the poetry and music—but there is also companion internet resources for those who want to see and hear for themselves.