Busi Mhlongo: The punk who infiltrated male Zulu music
Punk might have originated in the underground clubs of cities like New York, but the essential attitude and spirit of the movement proved far more universal. After all, distorted guitars and silly haircuts don’t mean anything if you don’t have the substance and drive to back it up. In that sense, few artists embodied punk quite as expertly as the iconic vocalist and songwriter Busi Mhlongo. Even if her musical output shared little in common with bands like the Ramones or Sex Pistols, the spirit of punk in her work, created during the period of apartheid in South Africa, is utterly undeniable.
Born in the KwaZulu-Natal area of South Africa, Mhlongo first found a love for music and performance while singing at a local church, spurred on by her family. KwaZulu-Natal, as the name implies, is home to South Africa’s biggest community of Zulu people, and their traditions and customs – many of which are based around music – captivated Mhlongo from a very young age. However, many of the folk traditions performed by Zulu people were specifically focused on men, leaving the young Mhlongo restricted to the sidelines.
Predominantly, the South African vocalist found a fascination with Maskandi music, a type of Zulu folk music traditionally performed by men. Based on a unique guitar style and socially conscious vocals, Maskandi music provides the Zulu people with an opportunity to express themselves and, crucially, criticise authority figures without fear of repercussions. Undeterred by the male dominance of this folk music scene in South Africa, Mhlongo devoted herself to mastering Maskandi music, relocating to Johannesburg and breathing new life into the age-old style in the process.
Maskandi regularly drew upon the theme of predominantly Black migrants travelling from rural communities to big cities like Johannesburg in search of work under the oppressive regime of apartheid. Pretty soon, Mhlongo gained a reputation for her own unique take on the folk style, incorporating elements of traditional Zulu music with modern jazz, funk, rock, and even the vibrant music arising from West Africa during the same period in the 1960s. This blending of styles was essential in updating Maskandi, as well as providing some artistic opportunities to rebel against the apartheid state.
Throughout the 1960s, Mhlongo continued to develop this revolutionary repertoire, embracing the blossoming South African jazz scene and adopting an ever-diversifying sound. Towards the end of the decade, the increasing pressure of apartheid forced Mhlongo, like many other musicians, to join the exiled South African community in London. Although the context of this move was obviously horrific, her relocation to London did provide the singer with an opportunity to expand her repertoire of musical influences, as well as give Maskandi music an international audience for the first time.
The diversity of sounds Mhlongo was exposed to while in London can clearly be heard on her early solo records, which feature the clear markings of funk, soul, jazz, and even reggae. As you might expect, therefore, the South African vocalist sounded unlike anybody else, and that originality gained her an incredibly dedicated following. Of course, a large portion of her appeal came from the inherent emotion encapsulated on her records, which only increased during her time in exile.
Due to her persecution by the South African state, Mhlongo was prevented from returning to her homeland for years, wreaking havoc with her family life – including her relationship with her husband, Early Mabuza, who was murdered while Mhlongo was exiled. Nevertheless, her activism through music and outspoken stance against the apartheid state provided a voice for thousands of marginalised South Africans who could not speak out themselves for fear of being persecuted.
Busi Mhlongo sadly passed away back in 2010 after fighting breast cancer. However, her legacy of music and rebellion certainly lives on. Maskandi music can still be heard throughout South Africa, and its influence is felt in various different styles of jazz and funk music worldwide, and that is largely down to Mhlongo. She helped to put the previously obscure genre on an international stage, raising awareness for the struggle of Black South Africans under apartheid in the process.
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