Here are two musical portrayals of South African township* life.
The first, by Dr. Malinga and DJ Vetkuk, is a song I've actually heard played whenever I've been into a township. It seems to be extremely popular. It makes township life look pretty festive, if a little difficult.
The second song is by the controversial Afrikaans rap/rave group, Die Antwoord. The band has an international cult following and they are known worldwide for being really freaky.
A month ago I would have just thought this was a weird song starring some creepy people, but my time in Cape Town has taught me enough about South African gang culture to pick up on some of what they're talking about here.
The American flags scattered throughout the video have little to do with the actual USA, and more to do with the biggest and most notorious gang in Cape Town who call themselves "The Americans."
You'll also hear references to the "26's," "27's," and "28's," in this song. Those are the three major prison gangs in the area.
*Townships are a communities on the outskirts of South Africa's major cities. Townships have their roots in the days when the laws of this country dictated who could live where according to race and/or social status. Those laws are gone, but the communities, and the systematically created racial divisions largely remain. Townships can be nice, middle class communities, but oftentimes townships have third world conditions. Some townships near Cape Town are especially notorious for gang violence and drug trade.
The first, by Dr. Malinga and DJ Vetkuk, is a song I've actually heard played whenever I've been into a township. It seems to be extremely popular. It makes township life look pretty festive, if a little difficult.
The second song is by the controversial Afrikaans rap/rave group, Die Antwoord. The band has an international cult following and they are known worldwide for being really freaky.
A month ago I would have just thought this was a weird song starring some creepy people, but my time in Cape Town has taught me enough about South African gang culture to pick up on some of what they're talking about here.
The American flags scattered throughout the video have little to do with the actual USA, and more to do with the biggest and most notorious gang in Cape Town who call themselves "The Americans."
You'll also hear references to the "26's," "27's," and "28's," in this song. Those are the three major prison gangs in the area.
*Townships are a communities on the outskirts of South Africa's major cities. Townships have their roots in the days when the laws of this country dictated who could live where according to race and/or social status. Those laws are gone, but the communities, and the systematically created racial divisions largely remain. Townships can be nice, middle class communities, but oftentimes townships have third world conditions. Some townships near Cape Town are especially notorious for gang violence and drug trade.
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