Abstract

This article outlines an analysis that sought to examine how “early” jiti music has shaped contemporary jiti in Zimbabwe to not only identify aspects that define jiti but also to demonstrate how the style is a historical reality, rooted in the past and generated by the present. To do this, the authors focused on the music of the Bhundu Boys, one of the earliest groups to popularise and influence contemporary jiti music suggesting that their music, in particular the songs that were analysed, serve as examples of songs that are influenced by issues explored in jiti music. The authors also selected songs by Baba Harare, a contemporary jiti popular musician, and analysed how his music either relates to and/or departs from that of the Bhundu Boys. Using British historian Eric Hobsbawm's theory of invented traditions, which states that traditions can be revived or reinvented, the authors identified various adaptation strategies used by both the Bhundu Boys and Baba Harare to reconstitute jiti for popular music performance. The analysis of jiti popular music performance by both early performers of the style and contemporary ones showed that there is an expected “framework of performance and interpretation” for this style for it to continue representing certain traditional values and identities in Zimbabwe.

摘要

本文概述了一项旨在研究“早期”jiti 音乐如何塑造津巴布韦当代 jiti 的分析，不仅要确定定义 jiti 的方面，而且还展示了这种风格如何成为历史现实，植根于过去并由现在产生. 为此，作者关注了 Bhundu Boys 的音乐，Bhundu Boys 是最早普及和影响当代吉提音乐的团体之一，这表明他们的音乐，特别是被分析的歌曲，作为受问题影响的歌曲的例子在jiti音乐中探索。作者还选择了当代吉提流行音乐家巴巴哈拉雷 (Baba Harare) 的歌曲，并分析了他的音乐如何与 Bhundu Boys 的音乐相关和/或背离。使用英国历史学家埃里克·霍布斯鲍姆的发明传统理论，指出传统可以复兴或重新发明，作者确定了 Bhundu Boys 和 Baba Harare 使用的各种适应策略，以重建流行音乐表演的 jiti。该风格的早期表演者和当代表演者对吉提流行音乐表演的分析表明，这种风格有一个预期的“表演和解释框架”，使其继续代表津巴布韦的某些传统价值观和身份。