Meadowlands (1956)

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Meadowlands was an anti-apartheid song composed in 1956 by Strike Vilakazi. It was written in reaction to the forced relocation of black South Africans from Sophiatown, to the new township of Meadowlands. The song was popularised by a number of musicians, including Dorothy Masuka and Miriam Makeba, and became an anthem of the movement against apartheid.[1]

Background

The Afrikaner National Party (NP) was elected to power in South Africa in 1948, and remained in control of the government for the next 46 years. The white minority held all political power during this time, and implemented the system of apartheid.[2] "Apartheid" involved a brutal system of racial segregation, and the word itself meant "separateness" in Afrikaans. Black South Africans were forced to live in poverty stricken townships, and were denied basic human rights, based on the idea that South Africa belonged to white people. The NP government passed the Group Areas Act in 1950 and the Bantu Resettlement Act in 1954. These laws forcibly relocated millions of South Africans into townships in racially segregated areas. This relocation was part of a plan to separate the black population of South Africa into tiny, impoverished bantustans.[3] The settlement of Sophiatown was destroyed during the implementation of this plan in 1955, and its 60,000 inhabitants forcibly moved. Many of them were sent to a settlement known as Meadowlands.

Interpretation

The lyrics of the song were written in three languages; IsiZulu, SeSotho, and tsotsitaal, or street slang. "Meadowlands" was superficially sunny and upbeat, including the line "We're moving night and day to go to Meadowlands / We love Meadowlands." This led the South African government to mistakenly believe that the song supported the relocation program.[4] This interpretation was the result of the government relying on a literal translation of the lyrics. The government was so pleased with the song that Vilakezi was praised by a bureaucrat for the song, and reportedly, had a housing application approved. However, the lyrics were intended to be ironic. The residents of Sophiatown understood this interpretation, and sang the song as their possessions were removed from the township by government trucks. Thus the song has been referred to as a notable example of using ambiguous meaning to convey anti-government sentiment in a covert manner.[5]

Composition and Performance

Reference

  1. https://books.google.com/books?id=I4WhCgAAQBAJ. Cathy Benedict, Patrick Schmidt, Gary Spruce, Paul Woodford. 2015. Oxford University Press. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  2. http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/265/the-sounds-of-resistance-the-role-of-music-in-south-africas-anti-apartheid-movement. Michela E. Versbow. 2010. Inquiries Journal. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  3. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/575204.stm. Michael Gallagher. 17 June 2002. BBC. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  4. https://stichproben.univie.ac.at/fileadmin/user_upload/p_stichproben/Artikel/Nummer14/Nr14_Schumann.pdf. Anne Schuman. 2008. Wiener Zeitschrift für kritische Afrikastudien. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  5. https://books.google.com/books?id=C-oYBwAAQBAJ. Christine Lucia. 26 March 2009. Cambridge Scholar Publishing. Retrieved January 21, 2021.