Browse Items (43 total)

This song can be used to teach about the Reconstruction-era South racism and the dangerous working conditions found in the building of U.S. railroads. John Henry is an African-American folk hero from Virginia who, according to legend, was victorious…

This minstrel song can be used to teach about minstrelsy and antebellum Southern attitudes towards slavery. It was such a popular genre that it effectively was a type of pop music. In the song, the enslaved are mourning the loss of a deceased slave…

"Another Man Done Gone" centers around the American South's early 20th century penal farm system, whose conditions were notoriously terrible. Like many institutions of the post-reconstruction era, they were heavily racialized with a disproportionate…

Translated into English as "What Have We Done?," this song was very popular song at funerals and gained greater popularity due to its use by anti-apartheid activists. It is compared to the Civil Rights Movement song "We Shall Overcome."…

Hugh Masekela, considered the father of South African Jazz, wrote this anthem-like song in 1986 with Nelson Mandela in mind. The lyrics, though few, call for the immediate release of Mandela (who was a big fan of Masekela) and for him to return home…

Translated as "Lord Bless Africa," "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" served as South Africa's anthem alongside the apartheid-era "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika" during the years 1994-1997, to the anger of many. In 1996, excerpts from both songs were utilized to…

Written by Johnny Clegg in memory of his former professor, friend and fellow academic, Dr. David Webster, the song's lyrics speak to the nation's frustration with its government. In addition to his work as a social anthropologist, Dr. Webster was…

In addition to contributing to the 1985 dance track and protest song "Sun City," Peter Gabriel wrote a new song for the Artists United Against Apartheid's album Sun City. The protest group was founded by American musician Steven Van Zandt with the…

Written by Steven Van Zant, this anti-apartheid song was performed by a group of global artists (mostly from the English-speaking world). Though it was a global sucess, the song was banned in South Africa, a common practice for songs whose content…

Originally written by Clegg for his 1982 album Scatterlings for his previous band, Juluka, it was re-recorded by his new group Savuka. The word, scattering, is defined as someone without a fixed or a permanent home. The usage of the word scattering…