Symbolism and implications in the Zulu dance forms; notions of composition, performance and appreciation of dance among the Zulu
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Date
2007
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Abstract
Indigenous people today are seeking to transcend the history of pain and loss
that began with the coming of Europeans into our world. In the past 500 years,
our people have suffered murderous onslaughts of greed and disease. Even as
history's shadow lengthens to mark the passing of that brutfal age, the Western
compulsion to control remains strong. To preserve what is left of our cultures
and lands, is a constant fight. Some indigenous people believe the statements of
regret and promises of reconciliation spoken by our oppressors. Some have
come to trust and accept the world that has been created through colonization ...
But those who find sincerity and comfort in the oppressor, who bind themselves
to recent promises, must yield to the assimilationist demands of the mainstream
and abandon any meaningful attainment to an indigenous cultural and political
reality. Thankfully, those who accept the colonization of their nations are a small
minority. Most people continue to participate in, or at least support, the struggle
to gain recognition and respect for their right to exist as peoples, unencumbered
by the demands, controls and false identities imposed on them by others.
Amid the seemingly perpetual conflict that comes with defending our ideals, there
is confusion, division, and sometimes despair. Sometimes it seems we have lost
our way, and then the confusion, division and despair threaten to overwhelm us
again. Distracted from our goal, we wander a forest of frustration living
inauthentic lives that make us easy prey for those who would enslave us. Such
times constitute crises, and we are in the midst of one today.... '
Description
Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree
of
Master of Arts
in the
Department of IsiZulu Namagugu
At the
University of Zululand, 2007.
Keywords
Zulu dance forms, Indigenous people