Songs of the harp from an African xylophone : cries of deliverance

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dc.contributor.author Kgatla, Selaelo Thias
dc.date.accessioned 2015-06-03T07:33:31Z
dc.date.available 2015-06-03T07:33:31Z
dc.date.issued 2014-12
dc.description.abstract In this article I examine aspects of the Hebrew Psalms and relate them to African musical genres focusing on lamentation, protest, and resistance against evil and injustice suffered by the poor and weak at the hands of the powerful. The model of the Hebrew psalms and the instruments of the psalmists provide the basis for drawing parallels between Ancient Hebrew and African cultures. Suffering inflicted by the powerful on the lowly in society is universal, so resistance and the struggle for emancipation often take similar forms. I argue that although African Traditional Religion does not have a single founder and does not proselytise, its quest for justice where atrocities are committed is similar to that of established religions with a missionary nature. Lamentation and protest against evil committed by those in authority are part of a universal consciousness. In the article I investigate African music and constructs that energise people in their collective endeavour to attain authentic freedom. I also compare the roles of the Hebrew shofar and African horn in the struggle for justice. Musical constructs that satirise gender inequalities and attendant prejudices are also discussed. en_ZA
dc.description.librarian am2015 en_ZA
dc.description.uri http://www.unisa.ac.za/default.asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID=19577 en_ZA
dc.identifier.citation Kgatla, T 2014, 'Songs of the harp from an African xylophone : cries of deliverance', Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae, vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 171-188. en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn 1017-0499
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/2263/45378
dc.language.iso en en_ZA
dc.publisher Church History Society of Southern Africa en_ZA
dc.rights Church History Society of Southern Africa en_ZA
dc.subject African music en_ZA
dc.subject Hebrew Psalms en_ZA
dc.subject African musical genres en_ZA
dc.subject Ancient Hebrew culture en_ZA
dc.subject African culture en_ZA
dc.subject Lamentation en_ZA
dc.subject Protest en_ZA
dc.subject Authentic freedom en_ZA
dc.subject Hebrew shofar en_ZA
dc.subject African horn en_ZA
dc.subject Struggle for justice en_ZA
dc.title Songs of the harp from an African xylophone : cries of deliverance en_ZA
dc.type Article en_ZA


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