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4 September 2008

As part of the 2008 KwaZulu-Natal Heritage Programme, KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sibusiso Ndebele will deliver the keynote address at the King Dinuzulu Choral Music Eisteddfod to be held on Saturday, 6 September 2008.

Details of the event are as follows:

Date: Saturday, 6 September 2008
Time: 09h00 to 18h00
Venue: Royal Showgrounds, Pietermaritzburg

The King Dinuzulu Choral Music Eisteddfod is to be held in Pietermaritzburg where Dinuzulu was jailed during the trial in 1908. Thirty-two (32) choirs from the various districts in the province will be participating. The King Dinuzulu Choral Music Eisteddfod is a build-up to the unveiling of the King Dinuzulu statue in Durban on 20 September 2008. The Eisteddfod is also an exhibition of one of the legacies of King Dinuzulu, music.

King Dinuzulu was exiled to St. Helena Island where, among other things, he learned to read and write, play the piano and speak English. As author Stephen Taylor (1994: 272) puts it:

"Dinuzulu had a private tutor appointed to him, Magema kaMagwaza, the historian and convert of Colenso, who taught him to read and write. The heir to Shaka's kingdom also learned to play the piano."

On Dinuzulu's return from St. Helena, a British traveller, C J Watts, wrote to his friends:

"I was at Nongoma when Dinuzulu arrived from St Helena in 1898, a fine well built figure (he was then thirty years old), dressed in a shooting suit of that period: He entertained his visitors at the Usuthu in good style and was able to rattle off some tunes on his piano."
Quoted from C T Binns (1968)

Dinuzulu composed many traditional amahubo songs. He saw music as a medium for mass protest. Among the many traditional amahubo songs, can be noted "Wayihlaba Wema Nayo", which records the brief relation Usuthu had with the Transvaal Commando in 1884, where General Botha was a member, and "Sangena ko Bhevula" which records the 22 June 1888 fight between USuthu and Mandlakazi. On his return from prison in 1898 he befriended Dube, Seme and other Amakholwa, themselves proponents of choral music.

By associating with the piano and Kholwa Choral music traditions, King Dinuzulu opened a new era of cultural transformation among the Zulus, at the top of which was choral music, if you listen to the songs of R T Caluza (1895 to 1969) and A A Kumalo of Edendale.

Premier Ndebele inaugurated the KwaZulu-Natal Premier's Choral Music Heritage Project in 2006 to record history and heritage through the medium of choral music. Choral music is able to absorb a lot of text in its lyrics. The 2006 Eisteddfod was branded "The Bhambatha/Ghandi Choral Music Eisteddfod"; in 2007 it was branded "The Chief Albert Luthuli Choral Music Eisteddfod," and in 2008 "The King Dinuzulu Choral Music Eisteddfod."

All media are invited to attend. Please note picture opportunities.

Enquiries:
Logan Maistry
Premier's Spokesperson
KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
Cell: 083 6444 050
E-mail: maistryl@premier.kzntl.gov.za
Issued by: Office of the Premier, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
4 September 2008
Source: SAPA