ABSTRACT
The thematic range of the songs provides a profound demonstration of Marcel Jousse’s theory, which interprets cultural expression as first and foremost the expression of the whole being, and views oral cultural forms as integral to a broader cultural strategy that includes ritual, custom and social convention. One feature of the song that supports the argument that it is directly confrontational, and that it is a denigration of the president, is that from a traditional cultural perspective only the imbongi has a licence to criticise important people, such as the king, with impunity. Topical songs are those that offer challenge and comment on issues of immediate social concern to the community where the songs are performed, or to society more broadly. Through their songs, in their various guises, the women of Zwelibomvu depict what Njabulo Ndebele calls ‘[women’s] daily existence as ordinary people in ordinary areas’.
