David Rycroft South Africa Collection

Princess Magogo spoken song texts: Helele! Yisiliphi leliyana

  • Add a note
    Log in to add a note at the bottom of this page.
  • All notes
  • My notes
  • Hide notes

  • This item is accessible for UK HE and FE institutions only
    UK HE/FE log in

Please click to leave a note

The British Library Board acknowledges the intellectual property rights of those named as contributors to this recording and the rights of those not identified.
Legal and ethical usage »

Tags (top 25):
(No tags found for this item)

What is this? Log in to add a term that describes this item and help make it easier to find.

  • Type

    sound

  • Duration

    00:28:07

  • Cultures

    Zulu

  • Shelf mark

    C811/48

  • Subjects

    Zulu folksongs and dance , praise poetry-Africa (Zulu), izibongo

  • Recording date

    unknown

  • Recordist

    Rycroft, David, 1924-1997

  • Speakers

    Ngcobo, AB (reader, male)

  • Description

    Mr. A B. Ngcobo reads the lyrics of an ugubhu song which Princess Constance Magogo learnt from her grandmothers. This song dates back to the 19th century. It is a Zulu song which was sung by the regiments when the Zulu kingdom was at the height of its military expansion (Rycroft, D., 1970, Zulu Swazi and Xhosa Instrumental and Vocal Music, Tevuren: Musée royal de l' Afrique centrale & Belgische Radio and Televisie, pg. 10). The song praises the strength of the King's regiments, however it also expresses the grief and loneliness felt by women because their husbands and lovers were constantly away at war (Rycroft, D., 1970, pg. 10).

  • Metadata record:

    View full metadata for this item

Princess Magogo spoken song texts: Helele! Yisiliphi leliyana

Please log in to update your playlists.

Can you tell us more about the context of the recording? Or can you share information on its content - timings of key sections or important details? Please add your notes. Uninformative entries may not be retained.

Please log in to leave notes.