Zimbabwe urban grooves music and the interconnections between youth identities and celebrity culture

Abstract

Zimbabwiese stedelike “grooves”-musiek is ’n stedelike kontemporêre hibriede genre van musiek wat plaaslike musiek, ritmes en kulturele praktyke saamsmelt met wêreldwye gewilde jeugmusiek en kulturele praktyke, wat hoofsaaklik in volkstale gesing word en gewild onder die stedelike jeug is. Hierdie tesis ondersoek die verband tussen jeugidentiteite en beroemdheidskultuur deur die lense van stedelike “grooves”-musiek. Die studie fokus op hoe Zimbabwiese jeug reageer op fundamentele samelewingsverskuiwings en die samestroming tussen hul alledaagse plaaslike ervarings en globale kulturele ervarings deur musiek. Ek wys hoe hierdie plaaslike en globale veranderinge gelei het tot ’n beduidende toename in gewildheid en invloed van stedelike “grooves”-musiek, aangesien jongmense poog om hul identiteite en kulture uit te druk in die lig van hierdie veranderinge en interkulturele ervarings. My studie spreek hierdie betekenisvolle jeugervarings aan deur betrokke te raak by ’n tekstuele analise van stedelike “grooves” musiek- en videotekste. Tekstuele analise word aangevul deur onderhoude met stedelike jeug, stedelike “grooves”-musikante, musiekpromotors en vervaardigers, terwyl sommige van die navorsingsbevindinge gebaseer is op waarnemings wat ek gemaak het tydens sommige musikale vertonings wat ek bygewoon het as deel van die gehoor of verbruikers van stedelike “grooves”. Veldwerk vir die navorsing is beperk tot Harare en Chitungwiza, waar die genre sy oorsprong het en vinnig ontwikkel het om die jeug te beïnvloed. Daarbenewens word die studie hoofsaaklik deur teorieë van globalisering, populêre kultuur en beroemdheidskultuur aangevul, wat aangevul word deur ander relevante konsepte soos die konsep van die alledaagse mag, erkenning en feministiese teorieë. Hierdie teorieë is die sleutel tot die begrip van die belangrikheid van die urban “grooves”-genre en sy skakels met trajekte van jeugidentiteite wat op ambivalente en ingewikkelde maniere gekarteer word wat komplekse geslagsdinamika, ruimtelike gehegtheid, groepsverwantskappe, beroemdheidskultuur en die soeke na sigbaarheid en mag behels. Ek argumenteer dat wisselwerking tussen komplekse alledaagse plaaslike en globale kulturele en samelewingsveranderinge bygedra het tot Zimbabwiese jeug se alledaagse ervarings, interkulturele ontmoetings en identiteite wat resoneer en beïnvloed word deur beroemdheidskultuur en in stedelike “grooves” gevorm is.

Zimbabwe urban grooves music is an urban contemporary hybrid genre of music that fuses local music, beats and cultural practices with global popular youth music and cultural practices, is sung predominantly in vernacular languages, and is popular with the urban youth. This thesis examines the interconnections between youth identities and celebrity culture through the lenses of urban grooves music. The study focuses on how Zimbabwean youth react to fundamental societal shifts and the convergence between their everyday local experiences and global cultural experiences through music. I show how these local and global changes have led to a significant rise in popularity and influence of urban grooves music as youth seek to express their identities and cultures in light of these changes and intercultural experiences. My study addresses these significant youth experiences by engaging in a textual analysis of urban grooves music and video texts. Textual analysis is complemented by interviews with urban youth, urban grooves musicians, music promoters and producers, while some of the research findings are based on observations I made during some musical shows I attended as part of the audience or consumers of urban grooves. Field work for the research was delimited to Harare and Chitungwiza where the genre has its roots and has developed rapidly to influence the youth. In addition, the study is mainly informed by theories of globalisation, popular culture and celebrity culture, which are complemented by other relevant concepts such as the concept of the everyday, power, recognition and feminist theories. These theories are key in comprehending the significance of the urban grooves genre and its linkages with trajectories of youth identities that are mapped in ambivalent and intricate ways involving complex gender dynamics, spatial attachments, group affiliations, celebrity culture and the quest for visibility and power. I argue that interactions between complex everyday local and global cultural and societal changes have contributed to Zimbabwean youth’s everyday experiences, intercultural encounters and identities that resonate and are influenced by celebrity culture and constituted in urban grooves.

Umculo weZimbabwe urban grooves wuhlobo lomculo oluxubile ohlanganisa umculo wendawo, amabhithi kanye nemikhuba yamasiko nomculo wentsha odumile emhlabeni wonke kanye namasiko, uculwa kakhulu ngezilimi zabomdabu, futhi uthandwa yintsha yasemadolobheni. Lolu cwaningo luhlola ukuxhumana phakathi kokuzazi kwentsha namasiko osaziwayo ngokusebenzisa iso lokubuka ngomculo i-urban grooves. Lolu cwaningo lugxile endleleni intsha yaseZimbabwe esabela ngayo ekushintsheni okubalulekile emphakathini kanye nokuhlangana phakathi kwezinto noma izimo zendawo abahlangana nazo nsuku zonke kanye nolwazi lwamasiko emhlabeni jikelele abahlangana nalo ngomculo. Ngikhombisa ukuthi lezi zinguquko zasendaweni nezomhlaba jikelele ziholele kanjani ekwenyukeni okukhulu kokuduma kanye nomthelela womculo we-urban grooves njengoba intsha ifuna ukuveza ukuthi ingobani kanye namasiko ayo ngenxa yalezi zinguquko kanye nolwazi lwamasiko. Ucwaningo lwami lubhekana nalolu lwazi lwentsha olubalulekile ngokuzibandakanya kuhlaziyomibhalo lomculo we-urban grooves nemibhalo yevidiyo. Uhlaziyomibhalo luhambisana nezingxoxo nentsha yasemadolobheni, abaculi be-urban grooves, abagqugquzeli bomculo nabakhiqizi, kuyilapho okunye okutholiwe kocwaningo ngakuthola ngokucwaninga ngokuqaphela ngokuthi ngihambele imicimbi yomculo njengesithameli noma omunye wabathengi bomculo we-urban grooves. Umsebenzi wocwaningo wabelwa eHarare naseChitungwiza lapho lolu hlobo lomculo lunezimpande futhi luthuthuke ngokushesha ukuze luthinte intsha. Ngaphezu kwalokho, lolu cwaningo lusekelwe kakhulu emibonweni yokuhwebelana komhlaba jikelele, isiko elidumile kanye nesiko losaziwayo, elihambisana neminye imiqondo efanelekile njengomqondo wemibono yansuku zonke, amandla, ukwaziwa kanye nemibono yabantu besifazane. Le mibono ibalulekile ekuqondeni ukubaluleka kohlobo lwe-urban grooves kanye nokuhlotshaniswa kwalo nemikhondo yokuzazi kwentsha eklanywe ngezindlela ezingaqondakali neziyinkimbinkimbi ezihlanganisa ukuguquguquka kobulili okuyinkimbinkimbi, okunamathiselwe kwendawo, izinhlangano ezihlangene, isiko losaziwayo kanye nokufuna ukubonakala namandla. Ngiphikisa ukuthi ukusebenzelana phakathi kwezinguquko eziyinkimbinkimbi zansuku zonke zendawo kanye nezinguquko zezamasiko nempilo emhlabeni jikelele kube nomthelela elwazini lwansuku zonke lwentsha yaseZimbabwe, ukuhlangana kwamasiko kanye nokuzazi okuhambisanayo nokuthonywa amasiko osaziwayo futhi okwakhiwa kwi-urban grooves.

Mmino wa Zimbabwe wa toropong, ke mofuta wa mmino wa sejwalejwale o kopanyang mmino wa selehae, morethetho le ditlwaelo tsa setso le mmino wa batjha o tsebahalang lefatsheng ka bophara le ditlwaelo tsa setso, o binwa haholo ka dipuo tsa lapeng, hape o ratwa ke batjha ba ditoropong. Phatlalatso ena e ya diphuputso e hlahloba kamano e teng pakeng tsa botho ba batjha le setso sa batho ba tummeng ka leihlo la mmino wa metseng ya ditoropo. Diphuputso tsena di shebane le kamoo batjha ba Zimbabwe ba arabelang ka teng diphetohong tsa motheo tsa setjhaba le ho kopana ha boiphihlelo ba bona ba letsatsi le letsatsi le selehae le boiphihlelo ba setso sa lefatshe ka mmino. Ke bontsha kamoo diphetoho tsena tsa lehae le tsa lefatshe di lebisitseng ho nyoloheng ho hoholo ha botumo le tshusumetso ya mmino wa ditoropo ha batjha ba batla ho hlalosa boitsebahatso le ditso tsa bona ho latela diphetoho tsena le boiphihlelo ba ditlwaelo tse ding. Diphuputso tsa mofuputsi di bua ka boiphihlelo bona ba bohlokwa ba batjha ka ho etsa tlhahlobo ya ditemana tsa mmino wa toropong le ditemana tsa vidiyo. Tlhahlobo ya ditemana e tlatsitswe ke dipuisano le batjha ba ditoropong, dibini tsa ditoropo, batshehetsi ba mmino le bahlahisi, ha tse ding tsa diphetho tsa diphuputso di thehilwe ho seo ke se boneng nakong ya dipontsho tsa mmino tseo ke neng ke le teng ho tsona e le karolo ya bamamedi kapa bareki ba ditoropo. Mosebetsi wa tshimo bakeng sa diphuputso o ne o lekanyeditsweHarare le Chitungwiza moo mofuta ona o nang le metso ya ona mme o tswetse pele ka potlako ho susumetsa batjha. Ho phaella moo, thuto ena e thehilwe haholoholo ke dikgopolo tsa ho ikopanya ha ditjhaba tsa lefatshe, setso se tummeng le setso sa batho ba tummeng, tse tlatsitsoeng ke dikgopolo tse ding tse amehang tse kang kgopolo ya letsatsi le letsatsi, matla, ho amohelwa le dikgopolo tsa basadi. Mawa ana a bohlokwa bakeng sa ho utlwisisa molemo wa mofuta wa mmino wa toropong le dikgokahano tsa yona le mekgwa ya boitsebahatso ba batjha tse hlophisitsweng ka ditsela tse se nang botsitso le tse rarahaneng tse kenyelletsang dintlha tsa bong tse pharaletseng, ditlamo tsa sebaka, dikamano tsa sehlopha, setso sa batho ba tummeng le ho batla ho bonahala le matla. Mofuputsi o pheha kgang ka hore ditshebedisano pakeng tsa diphetoho tse rarahaneng tsa setso le tsa setjhaba tsa letsatsi le letsatsi tsa lehae le tsa lefatshe di na le seabo boiphihlelong ba letsatsi le letsatsi ba batjha ba Zimbabwe, dikopanong tsa ditlwaelo tse fapaneng le boitsebahatso bo tsamaelanang le bona le bo susumetswang ke setso sa batho ba tummeng le bo thehilweng metseng ya ditoropo.