조셉 샤발랄라(Joseph Shabalala)의 저항적 미의식 소고 = A Study on the Aesthetics Spirit of Resistance Exhibited in Joseph Shabalala’s Music

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This paper illuminates the aesthetic spirit of resistance shown in the music of Joseph Shabalala who is a leader of Ladysmith Black Mambazo that is an all-male a cappella singing group of the Republic of South Africa. Joseph Shabalala, as a leader of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, developed Isicathamiya, which is one of the traditional usic genres of Zulus, in South Africa. He also introduced the music of Zulus to the world after winning Grammy Awards. The name of the group, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, originates from the following three words. Ladysmith is a town in KwaZulu-Natal, which is a hometown of Shabalala’s family. Black refers to a black ox that is considered the strongest farm animal in the Zulu language. Mambazo refers to an ax in the Zulu language and includes the meaning of ‘chop down.’ Taken all together, Ladysmith Black Mambazo means that “the strongest axes from Ladysmith chop down any competitors.” Joseph Shabalala formed Ladysmith Black Mambazo in 1964. They initially started out by performing at wedding ceremonies and other gatherings and soon became successful. Afterward, they tried to enter Isicathamiya competitions, but they were not allowed to compete since they were ‘so good.’ Instead, they were welcomed to perform at competitions as an invited choir.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo started with 7 members. Since their debut, they have been actively performing and released over 40 albums so far. In accordance with their philosophy to preserve their musical legacy, they have inherited and further developed ‘Isicathamiya,’ a traditional music of Zulus, which features a free format.
Especially, Joseph Shabalala expressed in his music the thought of resistance to western imperialism and colonialism during the time when South Africa was a British colony. In Joseph’s Isicathamiya music, there exists a distinctive African mentality that is not normally shown in Western arts. This is because the music expresses his own experience during the colonial period and his desire for independence through so-called ‘the spirit of resistance’ that reflects the mentality of South Africans at the time. In this respect, this paper sheds lights on the aesthetics of Joseph Shabalala through his life, performance and musical activities. Additionally, the twentieth century was an era of postmodernism, when an idea of individuality and originality was emphasized in addition to diversity and cultural pluralism. Thus, this paper also examines Joseph Shabalala’s independent artistic spirit based on his lyrics which reveal the spirit of resistance to apartheid in South Africa and introduce Isicathamiya music of South African Zulus to the world.
It is a powerful thing that through works of art or artists’ points of view, a traditional culture of a certain country can have an influence upon people from different countries in the world and can interact with them. Isicathamiya gives a strong humanitarian message to the world by revealing social irrationality that was taking place in South Africa and criticizing militarism that divided people by color. This aesthetic spirit of resistance to the irrational reality appears to be accepted as a trend in the twentieth century.

참고문헌 (Reference)

• 1 서상현, "남아프리카공화국 들여다보기" 한국외국어대학교 출판부 2010
• 2 김윤진, "남아프리카 역사" 명지출판사 2006
• 3 안시현, "Zulu의 ‘Isicathamiya'에 나타난 미의식 연구" 경희대학교 대학원 2017
• 4 Veit Erlmann, "Nightsong : Performance, Power, and Practice in South Africa" The University of Chicago Press 1996
• 5 김진우, "KBS FM 월드뮤직" ㈜문학사상 2010
• 6 Veit Erlmann, "African stars : studies in Black South African performance" The University of Chicago Press 1991
• 7 오희숙, "20세기 음악1 : 역사․미학" 심설당 2004