south africa Archives

The 1980's saw a significant growth in the ever evolving South African music scene with an array of new artists and bands flourishing like never before. Bubblegum Music An unadulterated style of South African pop music, Bubblegum was uniquely based on vocals with overlapping call-and-response lyrics combined with the use of electronic keyboards and synthesizers. The first major bubblegum star was Dan Tshanda of the band Splash, followed closely in popularity by Chicco Twala whose claim to fame was his politically oriented lyrics and a collaboration with the famed Mzwakhe Mbuli. During the late 1980’s Yvonne Chaka Chaka rose to stardom with her 1984 hit ‘I’m in Love With a DJ’ being the first major bubblegum hit. Her popularity continued well into the 1990’s with her first n...

Elephant Encounter - amazing facts Have you ever seen the inside of an elephant’s mouth, stood between its front legs or stroked its back and survived to tell the tale? I also studied the sole of an elephant’s foot (it has toenails). Did you know that elephants are matriarchal? That the moms raise the children and discipline them? Or even that teenage elephants need to remain with the herd to learn how to behave? Legendary elephant graveyards probably exist in muddy places where the grass is soft and easy to chew because elephants mostly die of hunger as their teeth are no longer able to chew. Training Elephants Elephant Whispers, Hazyview, South Africa, is one of many places where elephants are being saved, literally, from being killed. The seven elephants at Elephant Whispers were...

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Evolution of South African music: The 1980’s

Elephant ride at Elephant Whispers in South Africa