This thesis examines Shona commodified songs in order to develop a set of criteria for critically
determining whether a Zimbabwean popular song has appropriated a Shona traditional song
and whether this enables the song to be categorised as “commodified Shona traditional music”.
The study identifies and analyses Zimbabwean popular songs by selected musicians. It identifies
strategies and patterns adopted by the musicians to reconstruct Shona traditional sources. The
study also questions why the musicians draw from the indigenous sources in certain ways and
how the commodified songs are meaningful to them and Shona community members in general.
The analysis shows that there are certain cultural values associated with each of the distinct
Shona musical genres namely mbira, ngoma and jiti. These determine how the songs are
adapted. Mbira music is believed to be the product of ancestors and therefore all the popular
songs that reproduce mbira traditional sources must retain “standard basic” structural
elements. The melorhythmic patterns associated with ngoma traditional sources are usually
maintained in popular music. While text constantly changes, traditional themes are usually
continued. However, the perception and understanding of cultural values usually differ from
one popular musician to another depending on varying personal backgrounds and
compositional purposes. Generally, there are four strategies employed in the adaptation of
Shona traditional music. These are imitation, sampling, combining two or more distinct
indigenous styles and abstract adaptation. The inclusion and exclusion of Shona indigenous
elements in popular music performance play an important role in the reconstruction and
negotiation of cultural heritage and identity for contemporary musicians and audiences.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/15750 |
| Date | 16 October 2014 |
| Creators | Chamisa, Vimbai |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf, application/pdf |
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