Photos by Dennis Mills

Dennis arrived at the King Shaka International Airport in Durban Wednesday night carrying his camera, and a computer for video and photo editing.  His work began immediately, as you will see in this blog space.  He sat in on my Zulu lesson and we attended the opening ceremonies for the University of Zululand hosted Heritage Festival.  Choirs from Durban University of Technology, University of Johannesburg - Soweto Campus and Cantata Chorale (a local competition choir) participated and I had the pleasure of conducting the closing song at the end of the concert on Saturday afternoon. 

The song was "N'kosi Sikeleli Africa"which is the South African national anthem.  The text is composed in several languages, because it combines previous versions of black and white national anthems.   I enjoyed rehearsing with the UZ choir in preparation for their rendering of the song a week ago for an international conference.  We were invited to open the conference by singing the national anthem and I was very happy to be invited to conduct.  I especially enjoyed the visit of two professional choral directors from other universities in South Africa, because I became something of a student conductor in a master class.  For the first time in years, I was able to get some much needed guidance on my directing and some pointers for working with choirs.  The UZ choir is quite good, and they are well-disciplined.  They are actually a student organization called The UniZul Choral Society, and report to the Dean of Students, not the Music department.  They rehearse every day, except Saturdays and often rehearse for hours at a stretch.

Choir membership in South Africa is a way of life.  The musicians sing at events in the community and are held in high esteem by many people.  Whether students, community or church members, they seem to take the responsibility of being a musician very seriously.  I really admire this characteristic and have often felt that being a musician carries some responsibility as well as some great privileges.  As a musician, I have sung and played at countless weddings, funerals, parties and all kinds of gatherings.  I have witnessed many important life events of loved ones and of strangers.  As a music researcher, it is rewarding to observe South Africans singing  - or rendering as it is called here - and rewarding to be allowed and invited to participate.  This participation is one of the great privileges, and I often find myself nearly moved to tears by these experiences with South African musicians.

Dennis' photography is adding a wonderful component my work here, besides the joy of being back together, which is where we belong!  Going through the photos with him and talking about the process of photography and organizing photographic data gives me a dimension in my thinking and a partner in my work.  His photos of me working give me pause, as I have never really thought about how I look to other people while I'm working.  I didn't know how much I smiled or frowned when I'm talking and concentrating.  His photos of other people help me see them as a future student might.  By that, I mean that someone who has no familiarity with South African singing needs a frame of reference.  Having a photographer who is also my husband helps me construct a frame of reference that I no longer need, but others will, if they are going to benefit from my experience.

Because of the teachers' strike, I have been able to spend a great deal of time with many teachers, who are temporarily available for my endless questions - every day until the strike ends.  The teachers have been contributing a great deal to my understanding of culture and music education in South Africa.  With their help, I have been to visit several choirs and directors, and interviewed some of the teachers themselves as cultural informants.  I have a written statement of my research purpose and consent forms that I am required to use by ASU's Institutional Review Board policies.  Sometimes Bhekani Buthelezi (who is also a temporarily available teacher as well as UniZul Choral Society director and University of KwaZulu-Natal post graduate student) instructs me to put the paperwork away and just talk with people.    Sometimes, as was the case with Isicathamiya musicians in Durban, he does the talking for me.  In those instances I have developed a earnest look to wear on my face  - and if  I concentrate, I can follow the general gist of the conversation.