Born Coloured : not ‘Born-free’ Culminating Experience project By Benjamin Jephta My experience as a so-called ‘Coloured’ in post-Apartheid, democratic South Africa. My attempt to unite South Africa and inspire greater self-worth within Coloured communities Born Coloured : not ‘Born-free’ ● Dissecting my so- called ‘Coloured’ experience in post-Apartheid, democratic South Africa ● Create music centred around themes important to the Coloured Experience. • • • • Transformation The Coloured Identity The Black and Coloured Relationship The Coloured Mentality ● I aim to bring awareness, inspire and create a sense of hope and unity within the South African expierence Compositional approach Terence Blanchard “on the Verge’ § Jazz Christian Scott “emancipation procrastination” § Ghoema/Cape Jazz Zim Ngqawana “Qula Kwedini” § Marabi music Abdullah Ibrahim “the wedding” § Kwaito, Gqom Derrick Hodge, Moses Molelekwa, Afrika Mkhize, Keith Jarrett, Tribe, Mark Fransman, TkZee Kaytranada and many more… § Hip Hop, Electronic music § Afro Brazilian music 1. transformation ‘An incomplete transition’ "South Africa was rated the most economically unequal country in world. Researchers found that racial inequality is one of the most prominent factors behind this." (World Bank Group, 2018)) 1. ‘An Incomplete Transition’ “Racialism is a deep decease in our social political fabric; and for the next generations, the responsibility of our leaders in this generation is to clear the ground in order for a healthy humanity to take place. To redesign, reconfigure our social space in order for that equality and also human self-respect to begin to grow again” - Dr Leonard Martin, SABC Newsroom (2016, September 13) “Coloured debate” [video file] retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSEc2-fEFKE&t=820s APARTHEID & The Population Registration Act (1950) ● Apartheid was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa from 1948 – early 1990s Population Registration Act (1950): Classified and divided South African citizen and resident to be classified according to their race and ethnic group, namely, White, Indian/Asian (1961), Coloured and Black Coloured Black 9% of population 79% of population Descendants of Nguni people. Coloureds are a multiethnic group native to Southern Africa They are: Xhosa, Zulu, Shangaan, Ndebele and Swati people. Their ancestry include Khoisan, Bantu, European and East Asian or South Asian. Population registration act 2. Coloured Identity ‘The Ben-Dhlamini Stomp’ Reclaiming my African Identity. #GautengShutdown protest by First Nation Movement ‘the Ben-Dhlamini stomp’ Firstly I am African; Politically I am Black; Culturally I am Coloured 3. Black and Coloured relations in South Africa ‘Kwaito Klopse’ “… relations between the two groups are frequently based on a perceived lack of similarity and a heightened awareness of difference. “ (Brown, 2000)(Brown, 2000) Klopse is a minstrel tradition born out of the Abolishment of the Cape Slave trade in 1834. Variations of Klopse Grooves Kwaito music is a variant of house music featuring the use of African styles like marabi, kwela, mbaqanga/maskandi with electronic samples. Variations of Kwaito beats Pantsula dancing culture is a derivative of this music style Kwaito Klopse groove Piano & bass implies 4 over 5 separated by 8th note Danilo Perez 5/4 clave Merging of Klopse and kwaito kick pattern, played with more variations “Kwaito Klopse” feat. Sakhile Moleshe [video] What is the Coloured mentality? Investigating: The South African Reconciliation Barometer (SARB) (2015 – 2017) And race based statistics around Poverty, unemployment, Education, housing and Crime A sense of socio-economic marginalization specifically when it comes to employment policies/oppurtunities as well as public perception. minimal Class Mobility movement of individuals from one social class to another The perpetual cycle feeding the Disillusionment in current administration “White people own the country and black people run the country and we have no place here” Coloured Mentality Development of a low self concept and selfdestructive thinking • 50% matric dropout rate in Western Cape • Less first year tertiary registration • gangsterism and drug abuse • High incarceration rate • • • obscured social identity “Not Black enough, not white enough” Highest homicide rate Unemployment rate 41% Poverty Rate 4. The Coloured mentality Born Coloured: not ‘Born-free’ 3-part suite This reflects my hope for the self empowerment of Coloured people by breaking free from an Apartheid mentality that was meant diminish their self worth. Part 1: Acceptance Part 2: Metamorphosis Part 3: Resurgence 1. Acceptance Acceptance of who we are and what we came from. This starts with a dialogue I portray this by creating a unified statement upfront to set the tone for what is still to come 2. Metamorphosis The process of ridding the apartheid mentality to give rise to a better sense of self. The lament features a cyclic melody that grows with intensity as an underscore to a bass solo. I drew from the South African choral tradition: 3 voices enter independently to create one unified sound 3. Resurgence Reconfiguring the way people see themselves to negate the terms we were defined by. piano ostinato with a hopeful undertone that expands harmonically, but the melody remains constant 3. Resurgence Reconfiguring the way people see themselves to negate the terms we were defined by. The melody is simple and moves parallel between the three horns with the lead in the alto. The horns play rhythmically loose and make use of vibrato and glissandos to give it a vocal-like quality. A Section Final thoughts I do believe that the racial inequality in South Africa is not specifically a coloured issue, but we cannot deny peoples lived experience. What makes this issue important to me, is that here we have people that has been denied their history and their place in South Africa. They are trapped in terms of class and social mobility and as a minority community, they are often overlooked. Final thoughts Going forward, Coloured people will have to reimagine an identity that is not just stereotypical, but allows for different possibilities. What's important for us as Black and Coloured South Africans is to understand these multiplicity of identities through dialogue, so that we become aware of all the different parts that make up our being and culture. 3. Resurgence B Section Personnel Double/electric bass…………………………………………………...Benjamin Jephta Drums/drumpad………………………………………………...………...Tyson Jackson Percussion………………………………………………………………..…..Tareq Rantisi piano/keys………………….………………………………………………..Noe Zagroun trumpet/flugel…………………...……………………………………..Alonzo Demetrius Alto sax……………………………………………………………………….Nerya Zidon Flute/Tenor sax……………………………………………………………..Stephen Byth Engineer…………………………………………………………………….....Liz Teutsch Future plans Continuing to develop my musical identity through this research Album release Spring 2020 Present a longer/detailed version in schools and conferences Move to NYC for my OPT year Long term Develop a music program in Cape Town with a that is based on the ‘Global Jazz Institute’ model: Instilling a sense of Social justice within musicians. Thanks My Parents, Danielle, Amy, Sanjin and Family Recording personnel Tyson Jackson.………………………………….. drums Noe Zagroun……………………………………...…piano Tareq Rantisi………………………………percussion Nerya Zidon…...alto sax/consulting engineer Alonzo Demetrius……….…trumpet/flugel horn Stephen Byth……………………….Tenor sax/ flute Liz Teutsh…....................……………………Engineer Assistant engineers......Alonzo, Alexis & Yifei The BGJI Family All the students Fellows and Faculty Artistic Director: Danilo Perez Managing Director: Marco Pignataro Advisor: Bruno Raberg Committee Member: Terri-lyne Carrington Visiting Artists: Terri, John Patitucci, Ben Street, Joe Lovano, George Garzone, Adam Cruz Private instruction: John Lockwood, Susan Hagen Funders The Oppenhiemer Foundation, SAMRO Overseas Scholarship, Richard Cock Foundation Bibliography Vollenhoven, Sylvia. The keeper of the Kumm, Cape Town, Tafelberg, 2016. Various contributors. “Apartheid” Wikipedia.org . 23 June 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apartheid Brown, Kendrick (2000) "Coloured and Black Relations in South Africa: The Burden of Racialized Hierarchy,"Macalester International: Vol. 9, Article 13. Taylor, Matthew & Roman, Nicolette & Mwaba, Kelvin & Groenewald, Candice. (2011). Coloured Identity in Post-Apartheid South Africa: A Study of the New Experience of Personhood. Makino, Kumkino (2013) "Public policy and transformation in South Africa after democratisation.” http://hdl.handle.net/2344/00010218 pages 1-9. The Advocates for Human Rights (2017), SOUTH AFRICA: Equality and Non-discrimination Joint Stakeholder Report for the United Nations Universal Periodic Review Research study/survey & statistics Institute for justice and reconciliation: SA reconciliation Barometer Survey (2014, 2015 and 2017) : http://www.ijr.org.za/resources/ World Bank Group: Republic of South Africa Systematic Country Diagnostic (2018). An Incomplete Transition: Overcoming the legacy of exclusion in South Africa: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/ Statistics South Africa (2017), Poverty trends in South Africa 2006-2015 Stats SA, http://www.statssa.gov.za, visited on 15 May 2019 South Africa Gateway: https://southafrica-info.com/, visited on 15 May 2019 Video Multimedia Live (2018, October 12) “The blood of our people are calling': 'Blood Friday' #shutdown” [video file] retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_MqKQctcm4 SABC Newsroom (2016, September 13) “Coloured debate” [video file] retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSEc2-fEFKE&t=820s Pansula dancers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vWdZI6-2-w Capetown celebrates Minstrels Carnival: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmVdndziiKk