Johnny Clegg: Critical Reflections on His Music and Influence

This book examines the profound legacy of Johnny Clegg (1953-2019), the South African musician, anthropologist and cultural activist who revolutionised the nation's musical landscape. From his groundbreaking collaboration with Sipho Mchunu in the 1970s through to his success with Juluka and Savuka, and as a solo artist, Clegg navigated apartheid-era censorship while reshaping South African cultural politics. Drawing on unprecedented access to archival materials and band member interviews, this interdisciplinary research analyses Clegg's unique position as both scholar and performer. The study presents three critical interventions: an examination of his synthesis of music, dance and political philosophy as embodied resistance to apartheid; an analysis of his transnational impact and navigation of the global cultural boycott; and an investigation of cultural appropriation and decolonial practice through his engagement with, and reinterpretation of Zulu traditions. Situated at the intersection of ethnomusicology, anthropology and African studies, this volume offers fresh theoretical frameworks for understanding cultural hybridity and postcolonial performance. It positions Clegg's work within broader discussions of race, power and cultural production in the Global South.

Table of Contents:
List of Illustrations Preface Acknowledgements Chapter 1 There’s a song to be sung: Critical reflections on the music and influence of Johnny Clegg – Michael Drewett and Lucilla Spini Part 1: Johnny Clegg’s engagement with life in South Africa Chapter 2 The unheard live recordings of Johnny Clegg and Juluka: Listening to Clegg’s early career within the context of alternative popular music in South Africa – Lizabé Lambrechts and Pakama Ncume Chapter 3: ‘Woza moya omuhle’: Johnny Clegg and Sipho Mchunu’s unifying cross-cultural brotherhood – Andrew Grant Innes Chapter 4 Johnny Clegg as interlocutor of African culture: A thematic analysis of a selection of his songs – Martina Viljoen Chapter 5 Johnny Clegg and the poetry and politics of migrant labour – Richard Pithouse Chapter 6 The praise names of Johnny Clegg – Sipho Mchunu and Andrew Grant Innes Part 2: Global reception Chapter 7 Johnny Clegg and the cultural boycott in the United Kingdom – Michael Drewett Chapter 8 Johnny Clegg: Le Zoulou Blanc in France – Lucilla Spini Chapter 9 Lost or misconstrued: Johnny Clegg in Hollywood – Chris Letcher Chapter 10 Digging for some words: Johnny Clegg’s academic experiences in North America – Lucilla Spini and Andrew J Friedland Part 3: Transitions in Johnny Clegg’s music and life Chapter 11 From Juluka to Savuka: Johnny Clegg’s changing compositional practices – Caleb Mutch Chapter 12 What we don’t see: The afterlives of ‘Asimbonanga’ – Nicol Hammond Chapter 13 Clegg is cancelled? Johnny Clegg and questions of Zulu cultural appropriation – Brett Houston-Lock Chapter 14 King of time: A lament for Johnny Clegg – Marguerite Coetzee Contributors Index

About the Author :
Michael Drewett (Editor) Michael Drewett is a professor in the Department of Sociology at Rhodes University, South Africa. He is co-editor of Popular Music Censorship in Africa and Peter Gabriel: From Genesis to Growing Up. Lucilla Spini (Editor) Lucilla Spini is a bio-anthropologist and sustainability expert and is Senior Research Fellow at the Italian National Research Council's Institute for Heritage Science (CNR-ISPC), Rome.