#Amampondo

[culmaer]

prof. Dizu Plaatjies is the head of African Music Performance at the South African College of Music (at the University of Cape Town) and I read a few weeks ago that he's retiring this year, which is why I was so thrilled to meet him. I didn't expect him to hang around unoccupied after his lecture, but I just went up to him and he is so charming and charismatic it was a little unexpected. but it's also exciting because I suspect —not only as an ethnomusicologist but also as a Mpondo— he may have some answers about the mysterious kelp umtshingo ! no harm in asking I suppose

here's a short clip of him performing on the uhadi with the great Mantombi Matotiyana and one of his masters students

and one of my favourite of his pieces, performed on the umtshingo with his band amaMpondo in the 90s

[cognitivejustice]

amaMpondo environmental defenders on South Africa’s Wild Coast bring the same spirit of resistance to extractive mining interests today as their forebears did to the apartheid state in the 1960s.

Their connection with the land, and the customs that underpin this, makes them mindful custodians of the wilderness.

The amaMpondo want economic development, but on their own terms, with many preferring light-touch tourism over extractive mining. Some families offer rustic catered accommodation for hikers trekking up and down the coast, such as here at the popular Mtentu River mouth.

Nature: Where the living and the spirit realm meet

It’s no accident that this place is well preserved, the locals say. Their custodianship has kept it this way.

The land is their mother, they say; it is their identity, something they respect. In their belief system, the land owns the people; the people don’t own the land.

When the amaMpondo speak of “the land,” they aren’t referring merely to the soil beneath their feet, which can yield X bushels of corn that can be sold for Y dollars at the market.

They’re talking about the rains that roll in on a storm, and the water filtering into the wetland where the grass aloes grow. They’re talking about the springs where they collect bathwater, the grasslands where their herds graze, and where they gather plants for medicines and mystical charms. They speak of the forests that burst with fruit, and offer firewood or timber. They mean the rivers that run into the ocean where they cast their fishing lines, and the fish that nourish them.

[coochiequeens]

Ladies please reblog to spread the word about these ladies and their fight to protect their homes from the destruction of the Oil industry

BY NEMONTE NENQUIMO AND NONHLE MBUTHUMA

DECEMBER 15, 2022 7:00 AM EST

Nenquimo, co-founder of Amazon Frontlines and the Ceibo Alliance, is a Waorani leader who has won the Goldman Environmental Prize. Mbuthuma is a leader of the amaMpondo people in South Africa and spokesperson of the Amadiba Crisis Committee, a collective that defends her community’s rights to steward their ancestral land.

We are two Indigenous women leaders writing from the frontlines of the battle to save our oceans, our forests, and our planet’s climate. We have good news to share: We know how to beat Big Oil.

From the Amazon rainforest to the shores of the Indian Ocean in South Africa, we have led our communities to mighty victories against oil companies who hoped to profit off our territories. In September 2022, we succeeded in getting a court to revoke a permit that would have allowed Shell to despoil Indigenous farming communities and fishing grounds along the pristine Wild Coast of South Africa. Just a few years earlier in April 2019, we organized Indigenous communities deep in the Ecuadorian rainforests to resist the government’s plans to drill in pristine rainforests and were victorious, protecting half a million acres of forests and setting a legal precedent to protect millions more.

Both were David vs. Goliath victories—and both were opportunities for us to learn where to point that fabled slingshot.

Big Oil has the deepest of pockets and a horrific track record when it comes to corruption, scandal, and environmental crimes. Across the world, Indigenous and local communities know that once the industry gets a foothold in our lands, it leaves ruin in its wake. For instance, the A’i Cofán people of Ecuador’s northern Amazon have borne the brunt of decades of oil industry contamination, deforestation, and health impacts. And the Ogoni people of the Niger Delta have lost their fishing and farming lands to polluting oil operations, and have seen their leaders threatened and murdered when they dared to speak out.

As frontline communities, we must work together to stop Big Oil before they enter our lands. But this, in itself, is no easy task. The industry offers alluring promises of “progress” and “development.” And they have people—in government, the military, police forces, shadowy paramilitary groups, and sometimes in our own communities—who are willing to intimidate, harass, and even kill leaders like us who have the courage to stand up to them. They also have billions of dollars riding on getting permits to suck the oil out of the ground and sea.

So, how did we stop them?

First, we kept our communities together. We fought against the industry’s “divide and conquer” tactics by grounding our battle in our own sacred connection to our lands. Our ancestors and elders understood, as we do today, that Mother Earth is sacred and worth fighting for. We are connected to her through our breath, our stories, our dreams, and our prayers. She gives us everything: water, food, medicine, shelter, meaning. And in return, we protect her.

We also helped our people cut through the false promises and threats by exposing Big Oil’s lies and abuse around the world. That is, we made sure our villagers could learn from the A’i Cofán people of Ecuador, the Ogoni of the Niger delta, and the countless other frontline communities that have suffered at the hands of Big Oil.

As Indigenous women leaders, we know that if we can keep our sacred connection to the land and keep our people united, then we have a fighting chance against any oil company in the world.

We also have the law on our side, which makes Big Oil really vulnerable. In 2007, the U.N. General Assembly adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which recognized our right to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) for any activity that affects our ancestral lands. Our shorthand is “Nothing About Us Without Us.” We, Indigenous peoples, the ancestral owners of some of the most biodiverse, carbon-rich places on the planet (the places that the oil industry wants to get their hands on more than anything), have the internationally recognized legal right to decide what happens on our land.

In South Africa, we were able to protect 6,000 square miles of pristine marine ecosystems off the Wild Coast, saving dolphins and whales from deafening seismic blasts on the ocean floor while also protecting local communities and our planet’s climate from the threat of ramped-up offshore drilling. And on the other side of the world, in Ecuador, we leveraged our internationally recognized rights to protect some of the biodiverse rainforest in the Amazon, jamming the Ecuadorian Government’s plans to drill across millions of acres of Indigenous territories.

But the law alone isn’t enough. To move courts and politicians—and to create legal exposure and reputational risk to companies—we need global community support to keep going.

That means getting financial resources to the frontlines, so that we can protect our leaders, organize our communities, and secure our rights. Only a fraction of 1% of all climate funding currently makes it to Indigenous communities on the frontlines of the climate battle. We need to change that.

It also means sharing our stories and shining a spotlight on our struggles, so that local courts and politicians know that the world is watching. Public solidarity not only prevents corruption and back-room deals, but it also energizes our grassroots campaigns.

We need to continue to pressure governments around the world to finally adopt our internationally recognized right to decide what happens in our lands in their national laws and constitutions. Our peoples have been putting our bodies on the line in the battle to protect Mother Earth for centuries. It’s not only a moral imperative that global governments finally recognize and respect our right to self-determination, but it is also one of the most urgent and effective climate strategies—it’s no coincidence that we are the guardians of over 80% of our planet’s biodiversity. In the Amazon rainforest, half of the remaining standing forest is in our territories. Without us and without our territories, there is no climate solution.

To have a fighting chance of keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius, we can’t afford to be opening up new oil fields in the lungs of the earth. We need to keep our forests standing. We need to transition to renewable energy.

We are writing this because we see that world leaders, businesses, and NGOs are only making slow, incremental progress on climate despite the urgent existential threat we face. Instead of getting frustrated, we’re doubling down on sharing our formula with other Indigenous guardians on the ground.

We know that time is not on our side—but our spirituality and our rights are. So here’s one idea from two Indigenous women leaders that beat the oil industry, and protected our oceans and our forests: Listen to us for a change.

[onetwofeb]

Miriam Makeba 'Amampondo' (the Breathing song) live Cuba 1972

[petiplacha]

Posted by Juno Reactor

"Found this pic today When I was in a Band with Alan Wilder just before he joined Depeche Mode.

Alan Wilder had joined us at the very end the bands life, he was lucky he only got a short sentence, for both of us a better musical life started 😉 slight difference! for me the underground world of The Flowerpot Men and then later

Years later we were mistaken for Depeche Mode! We were touring America on the Moby tour with Steev Toff as our tour manager, a good friend of depeche Mode.

We went to see depeche at some 25,000 venue in Chicago, went back stage, agreed to meet at the after party in a downtown club.

Me, Steev and Amampondo (African tribal percussionists) went to the club, where for some reason they thought WE WERE DEPECHE MODE! Not one to disappoint them, we got given the TOTAL American VIP treatment, free drink and white powders, “oh wow you are DM!!! we played along, the singer of the smashing pumpkins was taking to me for ages….

By the time we had our fill and needed to travel to next show, we left, passing DM on the entrance stairs 😂😂"

[thighguys]

16, 9, and 5 for the music asks

ooh okay!!

16- okay the first song that comes to mind is Starman by David Bowie which i have super vivid memories of singing in the car on the way home from prom with the first guy i ever went out with haha. every time i hear that song i feel like im 16 in the front seat of his moms minivan <3

9- okay i listen to a lot of music in different languages bc sometimes you just need the vibe lmao. i am SO into Fatoumata Diawara, my favorite by her are probably Makoun Oumou and Bissa, but also shoutout to Clandestin. lmao i cant choose she is SO GOOD. I also love Mbongwana Star, Coco Blues is such a chill song to listen to while studying. and of course the absolute queen Miriam Makeba lmao, Amampondo is one of the coolest pieces of music i have ever listened to <3

5- ooh a song i think people haven't heard before... okay lmao well probably a lot of my music tbh. i feel like this ask game is just turning into an advertisement for Nana Grizol but they are SO GOOD and nobody has ever heard of themmmm everyone go listen to T.V. Song RIGHT NOW. in other artists... maybe Not a Catastrophe by Tom Rosenthal. i feel like people listen to his sleep albums from tiktok but his other music is so joyful and happy you should all listen to it<3

music ask game

[messagestomegan]

Mawethu § Amampondo

[trukqsofficial]

Mawethu | Amampondo

[allmusic]

AllMusic Staff Pick: Juno Reactor Bible of Dreams

Juno Reactor was envisioned as an art project rather than a conventional music group, and they progressed from being a popular club act to an ambitious, multi-cultural performing ensemble. Building on the goa trance sound of their early work, their fourth album incorporates industrial textures and unconventional rhythms, with South African percussion ensemble Amampondo playing on "Conga Fury" and touring with the group, while Natacha Atlas sings on the mesmerizing "God Is God." The band's music became more bombastic as they contributed more heavily to movie soundtracks and video games, but Bible of Dreams still holds up as their best record.

- Paul Simpson

[news-locus]

News24 | IN PICS | Parts of AmaMpondo royal house catch fire, no one injured

[culmaer]

I realise you're a sample size of one and I shouldn't read too much into it, but I first learnt about this instrument as a specifically Norwegian flute called seljefløyte ; only like two days ago I learnt it's actually pan-Nordic and called sälgflöjt in Swedish. so I wonder if it's maybe more common in Norway ?

I also find it interesting that when I ask other South Africans about our traditional flutes, they give basically the same answer you did : they don't know the instruments (I didn't either until recently) but still recognise the music

my main interest in the Nordic sälgflöjt/seljefløyte is because it sounds so much like the Nguni umtshingo. which makes sense, they're both overtone flutes — but whereas the umtshingo is a rim-blown flute, almost like a concert flute or Arabic nay, the sälgflöjt has a fipple/labium similar to a recorder. and any recorder player will tell you, the recorder does not enjoy being overblown (other than the octave, but even then you vent the thumb hole which the sälgflöjt/seljefløyte does not have)

for example, the sälgflöjt :

and the umtshingo :

also this video of a seljefløyte maker completely enchanted me ! the way he removed the bark blew my mind ! and the environmental knowledge to know when the bark will be harvestable

a bit of a random question, I know, but what do you know about the sälgflöjt ? is it a common/popular aspect of Swedish culture ?

Hej! Unfortunately I don’t think I’ve heard of it before (which is interesting because it feels like something my dad would be very in to) but searching for it online (also sälgpipa which is the same thing) there are a lot of tutorials aimed at schools/scouting groups so it seems people still learn about them and make them. Listening to some examples it also does feel like a quite traditionally Swedish type of music but I can’t remember ever seeing anyone play it.

@ other swedes/nordics please let us know if you know about it!

[mabhoyi]

This dance is called imfene (baboon), its danced by a Xhosa tribe called Amampondo.

[sugarmusicnews]

Anthem (aka ‘Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika’) – Lungiswa

Anthem (aka ‘Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika’) – Lungiswa

Lungiswa – Lungiswa Most South Africans know the history of ‘Nkosi Sikeleli Afrika’. It was a prayer in the form of a hymn, composed by Enoch Sontonga and was asking God to bless Africa. During the height of the Apartheid years the song was used by the ANC and those involved in the anti-apartheid struggle as an anthem. It has been adopted by Zambia, Tanzania, Namibia and Zimbabwe as their…

[kyotakumrau]

2020.09.27 Rolling Stone Japan - interview with SUGIZO - translation (selection)

SUGIZO talkes about how he met his friends and why was it important to him now to release a live album

Original text: Joe Yokomizo

Photos by Keiko Tanabe

Translation: kyotaku

SUGIZO is releasing the first live album in his solo career, 'LIVE IN TOKYO', on September 30th. This work delivers the two day birthday performance 'SUGIZO 聖誕半世紀祭～HALF CENTURY ANNIVERSARY FES.～' that was held last year on July 7th and August 2nd at Nakano Sunplaza, giving you a chance to not only enjoy the live atmosphere but also the magnificent collaboration with his sworn musician friends.

It's a masterpiece I'd love many people to listen to, but it might be surprising to people who only know SUGIZO from LUNA SEA and X JAPAN and not his solo work.

In this interview we will get to the bottom of it, discussing the live album, the foundations of SUGIZO's solo work and his music, and the history with the artists who joined the project.

ー It's the first time in your career you're releasing a live album, which is very unusual now that the video releases are so common. You were that happy with how those 2 days turned out?

I was planning to release a live album from before. I heard from my staff they wanted to release the material from this half century celebration, but because I've released live video works so many times I thought it's time to change my approach.

I feel that young people nowadays are not really familiar with live albums. These times we can easily watch live videos everywhere including YouTube. But back in our childhood the live album from the artist we were indulging in was a real prize. For me it was YMO, JAPAN and PiL. Miles Davids or Frank Zappa also had quite a few live releases. And, Deep Purple or Peter Framptom also had famous live albums, even as I wasn't influenced by them. With such artists, live albums in 70s and 80s were treated as extremely valuable. I have a lot of admiration for those times, so I was hoping to eventually be able do it myself.

－ I see. Before we talk about the content, I wanted to ask you when did you encounter the so called psychodelic trance music that is the foundation of your solo music?

In the mid 90s. First, I was really into hardcore techno or minimal techno in early 90s, speaking of the ambient world like The Orb or 808 STATE, I really love the scene of that time. And few years later, at the same time when I started my solo activity, European drum n bass or abstract hip hop were very popular, I was quite influenced by the club culture and music around then, and then naturally I gave myself to trance.

The first rave I went to see was Vision Quest in 2001, and from then I got even more into it. The feeling of life in the perfectly linked music and the flow of universe, like dancing with the rising sun and chilling in the afternoon, my instincts were telling me that people had a connection with this kind of music from the ancient times. Not the music from the cities, the music with roots in nature. Kind of primitive music. I found great value for music there.

◆Then they discuss JUNO REACTOR, learning what kind of rhythm feels good, how working with a South African percussion team Amampondo helped them grow spiritually, especially thanks to the drummer Mabi, SUGIZO's chase of the 'black groove' to finally understand East has its own good points; he can be proud as Japanese and SUGIZO's solo activity reflects everything he's learnt.

Next, Joe asks SUGIZO for a primer of his solo work, SUGIZO lists 'Misogi', 'FATIMA', 'DO-FUNK DANCE' and 'Lux Aeterna'◆

meeting Kyo（DIR EN GREY/sukekiyo)

－ Remarkably for each of two days you invited guest vocalists. All of them are musicians you're very familiar with, could you tell us first about how you got to know Kyo (from DIR EN GREY/sukekiyo)?

From the start I was close with some people they know and their staff members. So I went to see their show and we were introduced. It was surprisingly recently, like around 2005 or 2006.

－ What was your impression when you saw DIR EN GREY for the first time?

It was the first time I felt threatened by a younger band. I'm sorry for saying this, but I haven't felt threatened or impacted by any of the younger artists, within this genre. That's why I was quite surprised with how great they are. What they're expressing, their worldview are incredible. At that time I could feel that their performance or sound are not there yet, but I could already feel the intensity of what was pouring out of them, the endless possibilities.

I was especially looking at Kyo thinking 'he's a genius'. There's no theory or detailed reasoning with him. He's just doing things by instinct. But he's good with words, good at drawing, as an artist he can express himself in so many different ways. Then, when I met him in person he was just so pure and innocent, doesn't it seem like he's not greedy at all? So it was a shock of 'a genius like this exists?'.

－ It was Kyo who wrote the lyrics for your collaboration song 'Zessai', was it a request from you?

Yes. Thinking to sing the best it'd be better if that person writes the lyrics, and when I asked [Kyo] he happily did. When I sent him a 2nd stage Mix demo asking 'it will be like this, what do you think?', he already had the singing (melody) put in. And the lyrics have been done too, when I asked 'woah, that's the actual thing?', he replied 'yup, I've done them'. It's the same with DIR. Thus, he's a genius. When an image comes to his mind he cannot wait. It all felt so fast. He's really a phenomenal creator.

－ How was the performance at the Half Century Anniversary?

I felt he definitely is someone who follows his instincts. When you stand on the stage and things get serious it totally doesn't matter if you're younger or older (as in how long you've been working in a music business). Of course there was no stage fright, I felt as a performer he's just huge, and at the same time it felt like there was mutual respect. It felt like it would be a waste to let it just finish like that. That's why I'm very happy that we can release the collaboration from the stage [on the live album].

◆Next, they talk about TERU and TAKURO (from GLAY), followed by Kiyoharu (I'm skipping here a lot)◆

－Kiyoharu said 'I've performed on various stages so I can't imagine myself losing, but when playing together with SUGIZO the pressure is very different'. Often when two different performers stand on stage together sparks will fly.

The same thing can be said about RYUICHI and SUGIZO, the spark/heat of the collision of a guitarist and a vocalist is often very attractive. In a way there's also the aesthetics of traditional rock, that the combination of Kiyoharu and SUGIZO might be able to embody this spark's attractiveness. That's why the collision on the stage makes me shudder, but also it's possible to blend together. With [the combination of] Kyo and SUGIZO there's no blending together, it feels different. And with TAKURO・TERU we're different type of people. When Kiyoharu is on stage I feel he's the same species as me.

－ It's interesting that the character of all those three groups of musicians is totally different.

That's true. I think it's amazing I could have a line-up like that, it's really by chance that they are my good friends coming from the same genre.

◆they finish the interview talking about the sound and working with Dub Master X, sound mixing for the album, SUGIZO wants the live sound to have intimate, close feeling◆

一 So how was it to complete a live album without compromising on anything?

It's a live album, but it it makes me feel like I was able to create a 'SUGIZO's Best Album'. 2 years I go I released what was meant to be my biggest compilation, but obviously the sound from the studio and from the concert have totally different types of energy. As someone who's been performing on the stage for a very long time, I'm really glad to able to pack that energy for the first time officially on an album. Of course live performance has less precision than the studio album, but performance has way more energy.

Another thing is that as you know it is difficult now to perform due to the pandemic. I haven't played live for half a year, when thinking about it, it's the first time in my music career to not play any shows for this long. That's why I'm really yearning for the stage performance, the live show. When I was still doing them it was something obvious, but now that I can't, making this album made me keenly aware how important concerts are in my life and how much I need them; and to tell the truth working on this live album was like saving myself in a way. Obviously a live album can't rival the real thing. Not even a live dvd nor a live stream can match the excitement of being there [at the show], but I worked on this album hoping to let you feel at least some percent of that feeling. At any rate, I'm really grateful to be able to create a work like a live album that inspired me so much as a child.

Btw 絶彩 feat. 京 [LIVE IN TOKYO] available here