October 6 saw a launch at Empangeni, Tusk uMfolozi Casino of
the prestigious House of Shaka Choral Musical whose first public concert will
be held on December 16 at the Coedmore Castle inside the Steinbank Nature
Reserve in Yellowwood Park Durban.
The House of Shaka
is a choral musical stage production with chorus, soloists, traditional music,
dialogue and backed by an orchestra which is composed, produced and directed by
Professor Musa Xulu, the first black person to get a studied PHD in music from
a South African University in 1993 at the tender age of only 32.
Professor Musa Xulu has subsequently gained other PHD’s and
he is still studying and actively involved in the Culture, Heritage and Tourism
economy.
The concert will take audiences on a journey of the history
of King Shaka Zulu. Shaka was a son of Senzangakhona. His mother was Nandi, the
daughter of a Langeni chief. Shaka was the King of the Zulus for a brief decade
and during his reign there are wonderful stories and interesting facts about
his life that audience will be made aware of in the form of music.
The central theme of House
of Shaka tells the history of the making and liberation of South Africa
from the birth and the reign of King Shaka ka Senzangakhona Zulu, who is the
founder of the House of Shaka, also known as The House of Zulu or the Zulu
Kingdom.
The performers tell the story of the Zulu Kingdom, the
liberation struggle, and the liberated people by taking the audience through
the journey from around 1780 – which is the birth of Shaka Zulu - to the death
of Shaka in 1828 as well as to the rise of King Dinuzulu and the emergence of
the new class of educated liberators in 1912 and their struggles from them to
1994 and beyond..
The story goes on to include the achievements of Pixley ka
Isaka Seme, Dr. John Dube, Chief Albert Luthuli, Martin Luther King Jr. of the
African Diaspora, Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Thabo Mbheki,
Jacob Zuma and Barack Obama. Many other prominent liberators are also included
in the narrative.
Various episodes in the period are recorded and presented in
the form of music, song, drama, dialogue and orchestral/piano accompaniment. A
mood of reconciliation and celebration of the African Renaissance, The African
Diaspora and South Africa’s 20 years or so of freedom. Themes such as peace,
liberation growth and development are emphasised by various soloists, duets and
choruses. The performance lasts for 94 minutes.
House of Shaka is
set to revolutionise the future of choral singing through such consciousness as
deliberate cultural entrepreneurship, youth empowerment, community building and
social cohesion. As a production, House
of Shaka has an impact in the formalisation of the culture, heritage and
tourism economy.
Besides the contracted Claremont Community Choir which is
the main Choir for 2015, the presenters of House of Shaka 1 (1st edition) – The
Heritage Development Trust- have contracted the House of Shaka Ensemble which
is a 22 member promotional chorus. The House of Shaka Ensemble will stage
promotional events of the Production in schools, churches, community halls and
other places in between the major performances by Claremont Choral Community
Choir and the Orchestra. The House of
Shaka 1 Season starts from September 2015 and ends on March 31, 2016.
The founder, Professor Musa Xulu, is already working on House of Shaka 2, which opens in
September, 2016 and ends in March, 2017
Through the House of Shaka Ensemble the Heritage Development
Trust has created jobs for no less than 30 youth which are expected to last for
at least six months in every season.
For more information, contact the Heritage Development Trust
in Empangeni on fax 086 578 9491 or email: heritagedevelopmenttrust@gmail.com
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