Songs that build bridges

IN HONOUR of India’s 75th year of independence, the Consulate-General of India in Durban and the Azadi Ki Amrit Mahotsav (Akam) have created six music videos of patriotic Hindi songs.

Akam is an initiative of the government of India to commemorate 75 years of independence.

The songs, performed by South African artists, are in Hindi and isiZulu and produced in partnership with African Lotus Productions and the Hindi Shiksha Sangh.

According to a statement from the consulate: “The translations celebrate the shared aspiration for freedom by all people all over the world and the universal appreciation of poetry and music that cuts across the barriers of languages.”

The Hindi Shiksha Sangh had asked Pete Jugmohan to assist by translating the songs from Hindi to English, for them to be then translated into isiZulu. He said this was an interesting and demanding challenge.

“We had to dig deep and look for the equivalent of isiZulu terms for those words in English,” Jugmohan said.

“Like the English language, which is open to the varying nuances in expression, we had, at times, to coin isiZulu equivalents for some of the English translations of the songs from Hindi.

“I was also assisted by isiZulu speakers, mainly teachers of isiZulu home language, during the process of translation. This was necessary for the translated work to be vetted and also accepted by home language speakers.”

He said it was important to use the correct isiZulu words and phrases.

“The spoken or colloquial dialect of isiZulu is littered with a host of borrowed words from English or Afrikaans, which at times are used to accommodate first additional language speakers of isiZulu.

“I insist on the unadulterated genre of isiZulu which, as a medium of instruction and an expressive and colourful medium of communication, owns the right to be respected and spoken correctly as any other language should be.”

Jugmohan said this cultural collaboration was significant.

“This collaboration has the ability to assist tremendously to restore the cordial and mutual respect of Indian and isiZulu communities that prevailed in the past. Far too many individuals with their own agendas are busy sowing the climate of racial tension and hatred by trying the old apartheid tactic of divide and rule. I believe that knowing and respecting each other’s language and culture helps significantly to build bridges.”

Allisha Gayapersad, production coordinator at African Lotus Productions, said the music video project was meant to show the similar colonial struggles in South Africa and India by incorporating patriotic songs from India.

“The songs have a lot of meaning and speak of the bloodshed and sacrifices of soldiers for their motherland (India). This is also attributed to the struggles of stalwarts in South Africa during apartheid and colonisation. This project was meant to pay tribute to them and how both countries overcame those struggles.”

Gayapersad said Rajiv Mohan, the composer, took existing songs and reimagined them for the South African context. She said although patriotism was the overarching theme of the project, each song took on its own meaning and theme, which guided the locations that were scouted for the music videos.

“The first music video, called Teri Mitti, is quite a scenic song and has to do with soil. I tried looking for as many locations where we could depict different kinds of soil; the beachfront, the Valley of a Thousand Hills and other places where you could see the nature of the land. We wanted to showcase more of Durban and its natural surroundings.

“The second music video, Rang De Basanti Chola, relates to soldiers getting ready to sacrifice their lives for their country, which gave me an idea of using a warrior theme. This is why we shot the music video at Sibaya, where there are two Zulu warriors in the front fighting for their land. We wanted to depict that strength through this song.”

The other four music videos, which are yet to be released, are set in locations such as sugar cane fields, the Nelson Mandela Capture site as well as the Pietermaritzburg railway station where Mahatma Gandhi was pushed off a train, leading to the birth of his non-violent civil resistance movement.

Artists for this project were Nkosingiphile Mpanza, Kerolin Govender and Risa Raeanne.

Mpanza, best known by her stage name Zawadi Yamungu, was also part of the Zulu translation process.

She said not many people paid attention to the beauty and meaning behind the Hindi language.

“It is a privilege to be able to learn and sing in this language. To use my authentic African voice in their own nuances and melodies but in my own language was something else. What I loved was the message behind those songs. There are a lot of emotions in these songs. I also loved that people get to learn history through these songs, which is important.”

She said her favourite moment in the project was working with children from the K-CAP Multi-Arts Centre in KwaMashu.

“I work part-time at the centre in the music department. I love to teach and expose the children to everything that I encounter, including different music such as these Hindi songs.”

She said it was important to celebrate cultural diversity through unity. “This project was a great moment, especially considering the unrest we had last year.”

Kerolin Govender, who has worked with Mpanza on other collaborative projects, said the project highlighted that everyone was responsible for bringing about a progressive and positive change in society.