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Apartheid-era music censorship at the SABC

Interesting article. The rest of that website has some really cool information on Southern African artists, too.

I know S. Africa and surrounding areas had some good rock and pop groups -- most of which were never heard outside the subcontinent until the internet made it possible for their music to be heard.
 
^^^^ For starters, you could check out the Sun City article on Wikipedia. There is a short list of artists who played Sun City there.
 
boombox4 said:
Interesting article. The rest of that website has some really cool information on Southern African artists, too.

I know S. Africa and surrounding areas had some good rock and pop groups -- most of which were never heard outside the subcontinent until the internet made it possible for their music to be heard.
Click to expand...

The only white South African pop act I can recall making an impact on US radio was Four Jacks and a Jill, whose "Master Jack" charted here in 1968. Black artists Miriam Makeba ("Pata Pata") and Hugh Masekela ("Grazin' in the Grass") also had American hits.

Don't forget shortwave as a source for South African rock and pop during those years. In the '70s and '80s, Radio RSA, the official government station, had occasional musical shows, and Radio 5, a domestic service, could be heard in the 60-meter "tropical" band fairly well.
 
Radio RSA had a great signal in North America as shortwave stations went. I can hear that interval signal with the chirping birds now. DXers could sometimes get SABC domestic services as well. I remember Swazi Music Radio from nearby Swaziland, using Hot Butter's "Popcorn" at sign on (11pm U.S. EST).
 
It was on Radio RSA I heard the South African rock group Rabbitt -- who broke up about a year afterwards, two of its leaders going on to other fame: Trevor Rabin to Yes, and Duncan Faure to the Bay City Rollers.
 
None of you have heard of the rock band "Seether"?
 
upstate29651 said:
None of you have heard of the rock band "Seether"?
Click to expand...

The thread started as a question about apartheid-era music on the SABC.

Seether were and are post-apartheid era band, facing none of the difficulties and hurdles that apartheid-era bands faced (i.e., move to the UK if you want to expand worldwide, or stay home).

South Africa was freed from apartheid in 1994. Seether started out in 1999, under a different name.

But yeah, they are probably the biggest band to come out of the country.
 
Other than Makeba and Masakela (they were married for a while!) I recall a South African compilation album called "A Naartjie in our Sosatie"

A narrtjie is a small citrus fruit, related to a tangerine. "Sosatie" is the South African term for what we would call a "kebab."

Say the phrase fast, though, and it sounds like "Anarchy in our society." This was done to put one over the South African censors.

I remember another new South African band....don't recall if they were pre- or post-apartheid....I recall they had "Stink" or some such in their name. (I had one of their mp3, but it seems to have disappeared...)



boombox4 said:
The thread started as a question about apartheid-era music on the SABC.

Seether were and are post-apartheid era band, facing none of the difficulties and hurdles that apartheid-era bands faced (i.e., move to the UK if you want to expand worldwide, or stay home).

South Africa was freed from apartheid in 1994. Seether started out in 1999, under a different name.

But yeah, they are probably the biggest band to come out of the country.
Click to expand...
 
radiocph said:
Other than Makeba and Masakela (they were married for a while!) I recall a South African compilation album called "A Naartjie in our Sosatie"

A narrtjie is a small citrus fruit, related to a tangerine. "Sosatie" is the South African term for what we would call a "kebab."

Say the phrase fast, though, and it sounds like "Anarchy in our society." This was done to put one over the South African censors.

I remember another new South African band....don't recall if they were pre- or post-apartheid....I recall they had "Stink" or some such in their name. (I had one of their mp3, but it seems to have disappeared...)
Click to expand...

I think a couple of Rabbitt's songs had subtle anti-apartheid messages, although they were superstars there -- and none of their records were banned. I think there were several other apartheid-era SA rock bands that also had anti-apartheid lyrics, although they managed to keep from being censored, because of use of wording similar to what you describe.
 
Ladysmith Black Mambazo was played on some eclectic services stateside.
 
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