Kwaito is Dead

Please get out your good chair as this is going to be quite the post. Comfy? Great.

So I am a white South African female and I honestly know nothing about kwaito. It's sad really. 22 years in this beautiful country and I can't even tell you what kwaito is. The internet, being the often cruel and unforgiving place that it is made me want to write about kwaito from a new perspective. I don't want to pretend that I am some sort of kwaito historian. Instead I am going to embrace my ignorance and give you an account of what it's like to get into kwaito for the first time.

First, a story. In 2011 I stayed in Johannesburg and did freelance photography. One day I had to photograph an event in Alexandra township. I wasn't very good at navigating the city of gold at that stage so I packed my GPS and hoped for the best. I got to the supposed venue and there were many people but it did not resemble the event I was supposed to be shooting. Eventually I pulled my car over and asked some people for directions. They said that they couldn't help me but they knew someone who could. A phone call later and a jolly looking man came out of a house and greeted me. I have sadly forgotten his name but he proceeded to get into his car and help me try find the venue I was supposed to be at. We drove up and down the streets of Alex to no avail but I will never forget that day for as long as I live. All the people going about their daily business on the streets, everyone laughing and interacting and most importantly, the music. The streets were filled with it. All the little shop radios trying to outdo each other. It was beautiful and sad at the same time. Beautiful because I got to experience a whole other world and sad because the suburbs paled in comparison. Yes we have better and more efficient access to electricity and water and yes we are better looked after by the municipality but the suburbs can be so devoid of life and culture. I did not know my neighbours' names and I didn't care to ask. We were all just hiding behind high fences and self-importance.

So let's get back on track. That anecdote is what I immediately think of when I hear 'kwaito.' I think of people having good times in the streets and not sweating the small stuff. To me, kwaito is carefree but not in the whimsical sense and it's about having a good time. Scrap that, a great time!

Even though it is now a big cash-generating industry it is still a form of music that makes me think of the people. Even though it would never be my go-to genre of music, I have started gaining a thorough appreciation for it. Most of it comes across as so DIY and a bit cheesy. I even find it humorous but I'm unsure if that's an insult or not? I still have a lot to learn about kwaito but in these coming weeks I hope to be shown a thing or two.

I will leave you with this music video by Big Nuz, according to a source they are pretty big right now.