Isandlwana Lecture with Mbuso Khoza and the Afrikan Heritage Ensemble returns to Joburg Theatre
JOBURG – The second edition of the Isandlwana Battle Musical Lecture returns to Joburg Theatre on 24 – 26 January presenting a gripping picture of the pressures of Isandlwana through music.
The second edition of the Isandlwana Battle Musical Lecture returns to Joburg Theatre on 24 – 26 January. Mbuso Khoza, founder of Value of Culture, musician, historian and heritage enthusiast will be accompanied, once again, by the Afrikan Heritage as they present the happenings of 22 January 1879 using the language of the music.
The Isandlwana Lecture will see Khoza present not only a gripping picture of the pressures that drove both sides to a terrifying and bloody confrontation, but a definitive history of the battle that has shaped the political fortunes of not only the Zulu people but of the entire African population in this part of the world to this day.
“When we launched last year, the idea was to educate the cultural and heritage lovers about our history. The lecture had to be different, as it is aimed not only to the history follower, but to a wider audience that is curious and would need to grasp the story effortlessly. Narrating such an eventful occasion can become boring and monotonous if done the traditional way of presenting papers, and that is why we gave a lecture with a twist. This year we promise an even better experience where we’ll take the audiences down memory lane with Amahubo such as Khethani Amagwala widely regarded to have been favoured by the Zulu founder King Shaka, as well as Zulu Salwa Nempi, a victory song composed a day after the famous Isandlwana conquest,” Khoza said.
The Isandlwana lecture demonstrates how Khoza weaves together the lives of Zulu patriots like Ntshingwayo ka Mahole and Mehlokazulu ka Sihayo and professional British soldiers such as Anthony Dunrnford and Charlie Harford – the men who were at the human heart of the savage and iconic Anglo-Zulu War by examining the songs – Amahubo – composed during that age.
The production, uses mainly song and narrative, and goes beyond the narrow focus on the battles of Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift, to cover music that has evolved from Amahubo and influenced numerous genres now grouped as “traditional music” for marketing purposes.
These include music known as Umvalelo, Umbholoho and others that have since been adopted by young people all over South Africa.
