Popular music in South Africa is distinct from other African musics in that the primary influence is Afro-American rather than Cuban or Congolese. Traditional music in South Africa also contrasts with the rest of Africa in that the music is predominantly vocal. Choral singing is common, featuring overlapping call-and-response patterns. Instrumental music was developed less in southern Africa, in part owing to the lack of trees to provide raw materials for the construction of instruments, and so the complex rhythmic styles, typical of most of Africa, are less a feature of the music in the south. Music was important in the political uprising of the Shona people of Zimbabwe in the cause of chimurenga (or the uprising) at the end of colonial rule. In Mozambique, Angola, and Zambia, the other countries of the region, poverty and general poor political conditions have inhibited the development of popular music in these countries. Together with Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Angola and Zambia are often grouped with South Africa because of dependence on the South African mines for employment, and because the languages of these countries generally belong to related linguistic groups.
Genre Guide 2000 · World/Folk › Africa