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| Mr. Bhekani Buthelezi and Suzi working on a Ph.D. proposal for the University of Zululand
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The long journey from home in Boone, NC, USA to the beautiful port city of Durban, South Africa took about 30 hours , which included three airplane rides and a good deal of ground transport. My first reward was an early morning meeting with Bhekani Buthelezi, a faculty member at the University of Zululand who came to Durban from UniZulu to attend the South African Society for Research in Music Congress with Dennis and myself. The conference opened with a lecture given by Dr. Louise Meintjes on the topic of Ngoma performance practice, a type of Zulu warrior dancing, in which the dancers both compete and inspire each other through their singing and drumming. The entertainment that followed included an amazing array of South African dance, drum and song styles…an aesthetic feast.
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Re-enactment of Ngoma Music and Dance during competition at the Old Mutual National Choir Festival. Photo by Dennis Mills. |
