The topic for my research project is the influence of western pop music on Kwaito. I grew up in South Africa and I have been able to witness the shift of Kwaito music. Its foundation and original sound has went from a heavy African influence to a hip-hop electronic western influence. My only drawback on this proposal is its lack of support from academic sources. I plan on focusing on certain popular South African Kwaito groups from the early 90's and cross analyzing them with the popular modern day groups. Please let me know if you think this is a good idea or a bit of a reach as far as sources go. I would really appreciate it.
I have a lot of family in SA so I will be able to get important interviews via Skype & Whats App to determine how Kwaito has shifted. I also intend on using articles such as this: http://www.theyouthinstitute.org/pubs/Is%20Kwaito%20South%20African%20Hip%20Hop.pdf
to do my research. I have yet to view any books on my topic but with more inquiry I am positive I will find more information on the subject.
Hi Tumi, I think that your confidence in this topic even though it appears that sources are few and far between is going to make for a very strong final product, so I think it is a great subject to pursue! Also, if you have trouble finding books specifically about South African music, you can always try to approach from a different perspective, like maybe finding some sources about political (or economic?) interaction between South Africa and the Western world during the time of interest. It could be that things like this correlate with the change of influences on music as well? Good luck!
ReplyDeleteEven though it may be somewhat difficult to find academic sources, I think that you will be still be able to get a lot of useful information from your family that lives in South Africa. I do not know if this would help, but looking at the spread of technological advancements such as computers and the internet in Africa may help you to find more academic articles that you can relate to the spread/increased popularity of Kwaito music. This topic sounds really interesting and I look forward to learning about Kwaito music.
ReplyDeleteYou have a really cool advantage for this topic because of your personal connection to South Africa and I think that will be a strong point for your project. I think we get really used to writing papers from a purely academic point of view, so yours will be refreshing and it should also be exciting for you to research. I have a similar issue with a lack of scholarly sources on my topic so far, but I've been trying to look at it in different ways, such as from a music theory angle analyzing the music itself and a historical one looking at the context of the music, so those might be options for you to look into as you do your research. You sound excited about this topic and I think that will translate into your project. I look forward to hearing more about Kwaito music and South Africa.
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