Abstract:
The study explores the theme of protest as encoded in selected Kalanga music. In particular, the study focuses on the analysis of songs sung by Kalanga musicians such as Chase Skuza, Ndux Junior and Batshele Brothers, Ndolwane Super Sounds and Tornado Heroes within the period 2000-2013.The selected period is generally considered to be a crisis period in Zimbabwe. Further, the study also relies on views from key respondents obtained through semi structured interviews and questionnaires. The research adopts the Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) framework and the hegemony theory to help identify the discourses as encoded in the theme of protest in Kalanga music. The two frameworks are engaged because they challenge critical thinkers to move away from seeing language as immaterial to acknowledging and believing that words are meaningful in specific political, social and historical contexts. The study establishes that Kalanga music is protest art that speaks on behalf of the people by pointing out the injustices and malpractices that take place in society. The selected music demonstrates the battles that are ongoing that the musicians are protesting against. The study notes that protest music raises the consciousness of the citizens on the wayward behaviour of individuals and institutions. The protest themes identified include; corruption, poor governance and poor leadership, unfulfilled promises, lack of unity, repressive and oppressive laws, a skewed representation of the nation’s history, deployment of Shona teachers in Matabeleland, decrying moral decadence, protest against jealousy and envy and protest against xenophobia. Findings of the study also demonstrate that music goes beyond simply reflecting and describing situations but it also becomes an avenue through which discursive spaces are opened. The study also shows that Kalanga music provides alternative platforms for the articulation of matters generally considered taboo within Zimbabwean spaces, Kalanga music has a potential to contribute to national cohesion and national growth using its constructive criticism of the political, social and economic state of Zimbabwe. The study has clearly enunciated that protest music assists in the interrogation of a society’s moral compass and in turn question some convictions. Kalanga songs are not merely frivolous components of various sects of Zimbabwean culture, or passing sources of insignificant entertainment. Instead, they and their singers are critical contributors to the shaping of those eras, playing irreplaceable roles as they spur collective mindsets of protest across many social aggregates through their appeal to the desires, the morals, the lamentations, the angers and the passions of the Kalanga people.
