“WHEN VOICES MEET”: SHARON KATZ AS MUSICAL ACTIVIST DURING THE APARTHEID ERA AND BEYOND by AMBIGAY YUDKOFF submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF LITERATURE AND PHILOSOPHY in the subject Musicology at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA SUPERVISOR: PROFESSOR MARC DUBY January 2018 ii For Tamara, Jasmin, Brandon & Ilana iii Acknowledgements I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death. –Nelson Mandela It was the optimism of Sharon Katz that struck me most powerfully during a chance encounter at one of her intimate performances at Café Lena in Saratoga Springs, New York. I knew that musical activism would be at the heart of my research, but I was not prepared for the wealth of information that I discovered along the way. Sharon Katz shared her vision, her artistic materials, her contacts and her time with me. I am thankful for the access she provided. My supervisor, Professor Marc Duby, has encouraged and supported me throughout the research process. He is a scholar par excellence with the intellectual depth and critical insights that inspired several lines of inquiry in my research. My heartfelt thanks go to many people who provided invaluable assistance during my fieldwork and data collection: Willemien Froneman who provided valuable input during the proposal stage of my research; Marilyn Cohen for providing vital information regarding the America Peace Train Tour; Mama Mary Lwate for opening her home to me and allowing me to visit the children at the orphanage in Mabopane; Nonhlanhla Wanda and Wendy Quick for sharing their stories with me; the participants of the South African Peace Train experience who agreed to be interviewed and the adults on the American Peace Train Tour who willingly shared their insights through my questionnaires; Ken Facin in New York, a leader of schools and a champion of the arts for his unwavering support of my endeavours. My family is an ongoing source of inspiration and my parents have encouraged my lifelong love of learning. Special thanks to my son, Brandon, who graciously assisted iv with the early transcriptions of my interviews and with the formatting of my musical scores and to Charles for his fastidious proof-reading of my thesis. Finally, I am deeply indebted to the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS) for providing funding that facilitated the many aspects of my research. The contents of my thesis, however, do not necessarily reflect the views of that organisation. v ABSTRACT “When Voices Meet”: Sharon Katz As Musical Activist During the Apartheid Era and Beyond by Ambigay Yudkoff This study investigates the work of the performer, composer, educator, music therapist and activist Sharon Katz. Beginning in 1992, Katz made history in apartheid South Africa when she formed a 500-member choir that showcased both multi-cultural and multi- lingual songs in their staged the production, When Voices Meet, which incorporated music, songs and dance, intended to assist in promoting a peaceful transition to democracy in South Africa. The success of the concerts of When Voices Meet led to Katz securing sponsorships to hire a train, “The Peace Train”, which transported 130 performers from city to city with media crews in tow. The performers’ mission on this journey was to create an environment of trust, of joy, and of sharing through music, across the artificially-imposed barriers of a racially segregated society. This investigation includes several areas of inquiry: The South African Peace Train; the efforts of the non-profit Friends of the Peace Train; Katz’s work with Pennsylvania prisoners and boys at an American Reform School; the documentary When Voices Meet, and the American Peace Train Tour of July 2016, bringing the message of peace and harmony through song to racially and socio-economically divided Americans on a route that started in New York and culminated with a concert at UNESCO’s Mandela Day celebrations in Washington D. C. These endeavours are examined within the framework of musical activism. The multi-faceted nature of Katz’s activism lends itself to an in-depth multiple case study. Qualitative case study methodology will be used to understand and theorise musical activism through detailed contextual analyses of five significant sets of related events. These include Katz’s work as a music therapist with prisoners in Pennsylvania vi and a Boys’ Reform School; as activist with The South African Peace Train of 1993; as humanitarian with Friends of the Peace Train; in making the documentary, When Voices Meet, and as activist with the American Peace Train Tour of 2016. In documenting the grass-roots musical activism of Sharon Katz, I hope to contribute towards a gap in South African musicological history that would add to a more comprehensive understanding of musical activism and its role in social change. Keywords: musical activism; Peace Train; voices; apartheid; therapist; songs; humanitarian work; multi-cultural; languages; cultural utopia vii Table of Contents Declaration ....................................................................................................................... ii Dedication ....................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................... iv Abstract ........................................................................................................................... vi Table of Contents .......................................................................................................... viii List of Tables.................................................................................................................. xii List of Graphs ................................................................................................................ xiii List of Figures ............................................................................................................... xiv List of Musical Examples ............................................................................................. xvi CHAPTER 1 .................................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background and Context ........................................................................................ 1 1.2 Historical Backdrop to Music and Resistance in South Africa from 1948 ............ 2 1.3 The Objectives of the Study ................................................................................... 6 1.4 The Research Problem ............................................................................................ 8 1.5 The Research Questions ......................................................................................... 9 1.6 GLOSSARY OF MUSICAL STYLES ................................................................ 10 1.7 CHAPTER OUTLINE ......................................................................................... 13 CHAPTER 2 .................................................................................................................. 15 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND LITERATURE REVIEW ............................. 15 2.1 Musical Activism: A Theoretical Framework ...................................................... 15 2.2 Political and Social Change through Music ......................................................... 27 2.3 The Role of “Freedom Songs” and “Peace Songs” in Social Transformation ..... 34 2.4 Promoting Understanding and Peace through Music ........................................... 47 2.5 The Healing Power of Music ................................................................................ 49 2.6 Music as Social Text in Everyday Lives .............................................................. 51 2.7 Related Audio-Visual Material ............................................................................ 53 viii 2.8 Mediating Access to Communities ....................................................................... 54 2.9 Negotiating Whiteness in Apartheid South Africa ............................................... 61 CHAPTER 3 .................................................................................................................. 64 METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................................... 64 3.1 Research Design ................................................................................................... 64 3.2 Data Collection Sources and Techniques ............................................................. 69 3.2.1 Interviews ..................................................................................................... 69 3.2.2 Questionnaires .............................................................................................. 71 3.2.3 A Documentary Film and Recorded CDs of Sharon Katz ........................... 72 3.2.4 Observations ................................................................................................