Joburg Theatre takes audiences back in time
JOHANNESBURG – Audiences can experience 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.
The second edition of the Isandlwana Battle Musical Lecture returns to Joburg Theatre on 24 to 26 January this year. Mbuso Khoza, founder of Value of Culture, musician, historian and heritage enthusiast will be accompanied, once again, by the Afrikan Heritage Ensemble (a 16-member a capella group which Khoza formed some four years ago) as they present the happenings of 22 January 1879 using the language of the music.
The lecture sees Khoza presenting 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. The Isandlwana Battle Musical Lecture demonstrates how ‘unity of purpose’ has achieved what experts would have called impossible.
Those who follow the history of South Africa will know about this historic victory of the nation. In the shadow of an imposing rocky outcrop called Isandlwana, the bloodiest defeat inflicted on the British Army during the Victorian age took place.
The Anglo-Zulu War had not been a cricket match in which evenly matched sides had met up in fair play and the best side had won.
Mbuso Khoza had this to say about the lecture, “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.”
The 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 Durnford 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.
Details: Tickets can be purchased at webtickets.co.za or Pick ‘n Pay stores
Find out what events are in the area by following our Diary Entry in the Rosebank Killarney Gazette.
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