Mzwakhe Mbuli, “The People’s Poet”. Keeping South African Oral Traditions Alive.

Abstract

The purpose of this work is to analyse the work of Mzwakhe Mbuli. He has been playing a significant part in South Africa’s struggle against apartheid and social issues, employing the power of his words. This dissertation will begin with an introductory chapter on the historical context concerning the years in which Mzwakhe has lived and that have influenced his career, highlighting the situation brought into being by apartheid until the 1990s and the first free South African elections. A brief look at the present days will also be provided. Being Mzwakhe Mbuli an oral poet, the second chapter will cover an overview on the tradition of oral poetry, both in South Africa and in other African countries, considering, furthermore, the cases in which oral poetry is accompanied by music. A third chapter will present Mzwakhe Mbuli’s biography, firstly focusing on the most significant historical events that have characterised his life, and secondly, taking into consideration the different literary and musical traditions that might have influenced the poet’s work. Specific examples of the poetic and performative activity of Mzwakhe will be more thoroughly analysed in the fourth chapter. Here, the focus will be given on how Mzwakhe brings forth the oral tradition in South Africa, providing a chronological outline and evolution of his work. Significant poems, lyrics, and performances will be analysed as milestones of his production, centring on both formal and thematic aspects, such as rhetorical strategies and social impact. This dissertation will end with a chapter that will draw some considerations about what Mzwakhe Mbuli has been meaning for the world of poetry and oral performance and for the social and cultural advancement of South Africa.