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Constructing a web of culture: the case of akKOORd, an Overberg community choir

akKOORd, a community choir in the relatively small southern region of the Overberg, was formed in 2006, and although the choir has only a brief history, its spirit, activities, and concerts have inspired and touched many people. This qualitative study pays attention to aspects of the choir’s history, its performance practice and of the “web” of community members connected to and involved in its activities. Through interviews and personal notes this in-depth study provides a “micronarrative” of this choir within the “web” of the Overberg community itself. It aims to not only interpret this narrative with regard to the meaning behind actions and their symbolic importance in society, but also to explore its relevance in the broader context of current South African cultural discourse. During this research it became evident that policy makers and potential funders regard this predominantly white choir with its Western repertoire as a form of undesirable exclusivity and elitism. This study opposes such a point of view, contending instead that elitism in the form of excellence has the power to defy barriers of social standing and ethnicity, and to unite people through a collective sense of ownership.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nmmu/vital:8506
Date January 2010
CreatorsJacobs, Sunell Human
PublisherNelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Faculty of Arts
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis, Masters, MMus
Formatx, 100 leaves, pdf
RightsNelson Mandela Metropolitan University

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