Musical Arts are a vibrant and integral part of life and culture in the Jali area, Zomba
district, Southern Malawi. The musical arts types (magule ) are a means by which culturally
significant knowledge, attitudes and skills are expressed and transmitted, to ensure the
longevity of the way of life in Jali.
This is a study of the musical arts education system as it exists in the Jali area. Due to the
nature and intimate role of the magule in the culture of Jali, to learn the magule in the Jali
area is to learn critical aspects of how and why the culture and everyday life of the
community is both informed and re-formed. Inevitably, this is also a study of the culture of
people in the area, giving this music education study an ethnographic approach.
I observed, documented, and participated in the performance of three magule , namely
Malangalanga , Manganje and Mganda . Interviews were conducted with adults as well as
children. Through these means I have attempted to discover how the musical arts education
system operates.
Learning in this musical arts education system is practical and marked by high efficacy on
the part of the learners. Their motivation resides in the desire to participate, and interact. A
learner benefits through a combination of both informal and formal learning. Magule are
learnt through the informal techniques of observational learning, play, trial-and-error,
peer education and cooperative learning. Children observe and imitate through trial-anderror,
during play either alone or with other children. Formal education occurs during
initiation and in apprenticeship.
Community is the bedrock on which cultural practices including the magule find their
meaning and purpose. This fact is well documented in the culture and language through proverbs such as: Mutu umodzi siusenza denga (one head cannot hoist up a roof-to
successfully accomplish a task one needs the help of others). The overarching objective of
the musical arts education system is twofold: To express, communicate and embody the
community; and thereby building character. Both community building and character
building are geared towards cultivating Umunthu (humanness). Being human (munthu ) is
understood as more than a biological fact, but is a qualitative distinction. This distinction is
based on whether a person exhibits attitudes and behaviour that shows values for othersâ
wellbeing, and is able to live morally, in adhering to the societyâs values and beliefs.
Umunthu is an internal state that manifests externally in khalidwe la bwino (good/moral
behaviour). Umunthu and its corresponding behaviour and attitudes, which the culture
deems desirable for communal wellness, are obtained through the process of enculturation
and manifests in everyday life and in magule .
Ultimately, the learners are expected to become fully functional and productive members of
the community; equipped with the knowledge, skill, attitudes and experience particular and
useful to the community of Jali; able to participate fully in the performances and all that
they signify. Learners are expected to posses Umunthu which results in khalidwe la bwino
(good behaviour), leading to the transmission and perpetuity of the culture of Jali,
specifically through magule.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ufs/oai:etd.uovs.ac.za:etd-07172013-161719 |
| Date | 17 July 2013 |
| Creators | Ligoya, Alinane Mildred |
| Contributors | Mrs GG Pretorius, Prof GF Barz |
| Publisher | University of the Free State |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en-uk |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.uovs.ac.za//theses/available/etd-07172013-161719/restricted/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University Free State or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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