Scatterlings Of Africa

Scatterlings Of Africa

South Africa

music video

isishameni dancing

displacement

Olduvai Gorge

time: 20th century

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 conveys the idea of the displacement that has been central to African history, especially after the introduction of western colonialism. In apartheid-era South Africa, many black South Africans were forcibly relocated to "homelands" or bantustans, areas reserved solely for black Africans and people of different races were prohibited from living in the same area. Often, they were moved out of the major cities such as Durban or Johannesburg and into separate townships. However, this process predates the formation of South Africa as an independent nation. On a less literal basis, as it's used by Clegg in the song, it's an affirmation that all humans come from Africa and it's supported by the mention of Olduvai Gorge, an archeological site containing some of the oldest evidence of mankind. The accompanying music video featured Clegg, a white South African performing isishameni dancing, a type of Zulu dance, alongside black South Africans. This song and music video could be used to teach students about political messaging in South African songs to protest apartheid and the displacement of people due to governmental policies.

songwriter: Johnny Clegg

1982

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English

Zulu

genre: Afro-pop

South Africa

Johnny Clegg And Savuka

Sandy Trand

Scatterlings Of Africa [Youtube]