Word: zulu
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Zulu men dominate isicathamiya, though Zulu women are entering the ranks. A troupe often represents a district from one of the former apartheid reserves administered by tribal chiefs. Residents in these infertile scrublands remain dirt poor and dependent on income from emigrant relatives. Their homes are only now receiving electricity and running water. A lone goat bleating often punctuates the usual rural stillness, but when people gather for traditional ceremonies the landscape reverberates with songs of courting and dances of war. Isicathamiya embraces both these vibrant customs and the modern cultural innovations brought by Zulu workers living in cosmopolitan cities...
...judges. Before launching into song, groups take turns lining up to face the crowd, marching in place to set the rhythms and humming their melodies. With coyly lifted pants legs, they beat time with their feet, followed by a waist-high kick. Their coiled restraint hints at martial Zulu moves. Much in evidence to an American observer are the familiar echoes of old Hollywood vaudeville movies and the African-American companies that toured South Africa more than a century ago, bringing both step-dance movements and spirituals. During the concert, virtuoso performers nonchalantly step from the line to exhibit their...
...evening's final songs sends a shudder through the audience. The lyrics ask children to forgive parents' trespasses and impulsive behavior. "The hardest lessons in life," a verse concludes in Zulu, "are those learned too late, after so many untimely deaths. The children and ancestors wallow in sorrow because death haunts more than ever. Death brought by AIDS is death brought by adults who should know better...
...price of admission to the Beatrice Street Y is equivalent to one New York subway ride. The profound emotions shaping South Africa come with no extra charge. The performance is in Zulu, but spectators with no understanding of the language can grasp the feeling. Evocative words such as "AIDS," "lover boy," "our parliament" and "Mandela" are at the foreground. Hope and gloom duel in the background. Isicathamiya is South Africa's blues...
...Benedict Carton's recent book, "Blood From Your Children," tells of cultural turmoil in Zulu society under white rule. This article is from his forthcoming book, "White Zulu," a story of the symbolic power of Zulu manhood...