Maskanda

Maskanda. A musical form which has developed from a fusion of Zulu migrant songs and the electric guitar and other Western instruments. Utilized, inter alia, by Johnny Clegg and his band Savuka, for their particular brand of South African rock. Wikipedia: Maskanda (or maskandi) is a kind of Zulu folk music that is evolving with South African society. Ethekwini Online describes it as "The music played by the man on the move, the modern minstrel, today’s troubadour. It is the music of the man walking the long miles to court a bride, or to meet with his Chief; a means of transport. It is the music of the man who sings of his real-life experiences, his daily joys and sorrows, his observations of the world. It’s the music of the man who’s got the Zulu blues.

Nowadays this is untrue in as much as it is no longer just the domain of men. African women - notably Busi Mhlongo - are also making maskanda music.

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