South Africa: Music, Culture, & Social Change
Prof. David Clark
Bellarmine University
[dclark@bellarmine.edu]

Music is a reflection of the people who create it and serves as a sounding board of the human condition. Hence, South African jazz not only exposes the stunning rhythms, sounds, and musical practices of the country, it also reveals the rich complexity of its people, culture, history, and struggles for social justice. We will explore this correlation by attending concerts, visiting museums, and touring historical sites in the bustling cities of Johannesburg and Cape Town, as well as Port Elizabeth and Grahamstown. Students will experience South African’s connection to nature and the environment through a safari expedition and visiting Table Mountain in Cape Town, as well as traveling the scenic Garden Route. We will also attend South Africa’s National Arts Festival, the biggest celebration of arts on the African continent! Students will experience various visual and performing arts mediums, hear South African jazz, and have the opportunity to talk about the creative process with artists and musicians. From Johannesburg to Soweto or Port Elizabeth to Grahamstown and Cape Town, students will delve into South Africa’s musical heritage and meet people championing equality for all its citizens.

While open to ALL undergraduate majors, students majoring in music, history, sociology, Pan-African/Black studies, interdisciplinary studies and cultural studies will find this course of particular interest. 

Expect to walk between 3-5 miles per day. The average temperature in South Africa in June and July is quite pleasant. (average high 64 C, average low 45 C) It can be cool at night, however, so students should bring a jacket.


At the end of this course students will have:

• investigated South African history, its struggle against apartheid and the role jazz and other musical genres have played in its social justice movement.
• explored the connections between American jazz/Civil Rights movement and the development of South African jazz/Apartheid.
• visited important sites such as Constitution Hill, the Hector Peterson Memorial, Nelson Mandela’s house, & the Apartheid Museum, all important in the struggle for social justice in South Africa.
• participated in a service project in a South African township.
• experienced South African’s connection to nature and the environment through a safari expedition and visiting Table Mountain in Cape Town, as well as traveling the scenic Garden Route.
• attended the largest arts festival on the African continent where they will have experienced South African sculptures, paintings, dances, theatre, and hear South African jazz. They will also have the opportunity to speak with various artists & musicians about the creative process.