NYC CONFERENCE @ THE NEW SCHOOL

Saturday, April 27, 2024, 9:00AM to 5:00PM (EDT)

Language: What Is It Good For? Graduate Conference

HUMAN LANGUAGE & DEVELOPMENT LABORATORY
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY 
NEW SCHOOL FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH

Relevant Questions Explored: 

How does language allow us to communicate our experiences with others? In what ways is this an essential component of human civilization? Conversely, in what ways are we limited in communicating our thoughts, feelings, and memories to ourselves and others?"

ABSTRACT: 

In my paper, I will return to and expand on scholarly works that have previously examined the significance of pop music and resistance in apartheid South Africa. I will explore the unusually important role that popular music played in the resistance movement during the apartheid period (1948-1991) of South African history. Zenzile Miriam Makeba (1932-2008), also known as Mama Africa is one of the most prominent singers and activists in the anti-apartheid struggle. Makeba began her professional singing career around the same time the Afrikaner Nationalist government came to power. She contributed to musical genres including Afropop, jazz, and world music. Three songs which have brought her the most international attention in the United States and Europe include: “Pata Pata,” the “Click Song” in English (“Qongqothwane” in Xhosa) and “Into the Yam;” all performed in the click sounds of her native Xhosa language. Makeba made 30 original albums, 19 compilation albums and in 1966, she became the first African artist to receive a Grammy Award; the influential scale of Makeba’s work is in itself a counter to Black erasure.