Rhythm of Resistance - The Black Music of South Africa

Rhythm of Resistance takes viewers across the forbidden boundaries of apartheid era South Africa to experience the joy and sorrow of Black South African song and dance. Music that had once been ignored, suppressed or ghettoized comes alive in unforgettable moments, some of which were filmed clandestinely. Featured are performances and interviews with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Malombo, Johnny Clegg and Sipho Mchunu of Juluka, The Mahotella Queens, Abafana Baseqhudeni and others. In addition to featuring some of these key performers, other sections of the program focus on heavy censorship of Black music under apartheid, Mbaqanga and Soweto street music, Zululand roots, and a remarkable scene of an all night song contest in a worker's hostel in which the performers are judged by a white man who was virtually abducted from a cafe for his presumed impartiality. Although in some ways dated, the performances and insights of this program remain relevant today.