ABSTRACT
“Kwaito” is a form of South African youth music that emerged at the time when the oppressive apartheid regime was coming to an end in the early 1990s. While both popular press and academic critics, as well as older generations, were morally concerned by the apparent hedonism and lack of sociopolitical awareness inherent in kwaito, township youth embraced it as an expressive mode of popular music that reflected their life and aspirations. This chapter investigates the humorous, comedic, and ironic aspects of early kwaito, arguing that they were central factors in young people’s passionate attachment to it. The subsequent evolution of kwaito and changes in society led some fans to lose their interest in kwaito; for them, contemporary kwaito is not a source of enjoyment anymore, but rather a source of parody.
