Ngasekuqaleni kweminyaka yama-1900’s umculo owawufanekisela ukukhonjwa amaVictorian akhuluma isiZulu wawungaconsi phansi. Yize empeleni wawusungulwe emculweni waseYurophu nowaseMelika, kwakungeyona nje indlela elingisa emnyama yesiko ledolobha elikhulu laseNtshonalanga. Umculo we-Afro-American kanye nezinsimbi zomculo, nezinye izinhlobo ezahlukahlukene zamahlaya omculo kanye namahlaya amnyama, kudlale indima ebalulekile ekuvikeleni ukungabandlululwa kwabamhlophe kanye nokucwasa ngokobuhlanga futhi lokho kwaba nomthelela ekuthuthukisweni komculo omnyama othandwayo eNingizimu Afrika, ikakhulukazi eNatali kanye naseThekwini.
Ukuncoma okuqondakalayo kwe-Afro-American kwasekelwa kahle e-Ohlange Institute, iKolishi elizimele enyakatho yeTheku, eyasungulwa ngo-1901 nguDkt John Langalibalele Dube njengomlingani weBooker T. Washington’s Tuskegee Institute eMelika. Ukusebenza komculo kwakha ingxenye esemqoka yohlelo lwezemfundo Ohlange, kwathi amanye amakhwaya aseThekwini aphambili aqhamuka esikoleni. Ngaphandle kwebhendi yethusi ebiqhutshwa nguClement Tshabalala, omunye wabagibeli bokuqala Ohlange, isikole besiziqhenya ngeNightingales Choir ebiqhutshwa u-Isaiah Ngidi neGTV Dum Choir ngaphansi kukaWalter Dimba, oyisikhulu esizayo se-Industrial and Commercial Workers ’Union (ICU). Ikhwaya Ohlange ejwayelekile ibingaphansi kukaCharles Dube noNgazana Luthuli.
Uhlobo lomculo olwaluphethe izwe lomculo omnyama waseThekwini ngama-1920 nama-1930 kwakuyi-iragtime njengoba yayaziwa ngabantu baseNingizimu Afrika abakhuluma isiZulu. Omunye wabayebambe iqhaza elikhulu kulolu hlobo kwakunguReuben Tholakele Caluza (1895-1969). Njengomfundi e-Ohlange Institute, uCaluza wasungula iqembu lakhe le-blackface minstrel, elibizwa nge- “Coons”, elalicula njalo eDurban’s New Location. Ukukhula kwesasasa likaCaluza emculweni kwamholela ekuqambeni “izingoma zehholo lomculo”, edume kakhulu ngengoma ethi ‘Ixhegwana noma iRickshaw Song’ eyaqanjwa ngo-1917. ezomdabu ezine-ragtime, indlela epholishiwe kunazo zonke yokuzijabulisa komculo yangaleso sikhathi.
Imincintiswano yokuqala yayihlelwe nguJohn Dube obedlala izingoma zomdanso ezifana no-‘Umfazi Umaqed ’Isikhwama’ (My Wife is wasting Money). Ukuhambisana kwalezi zingoma kwakwenziwa ngokushaywa kwezigubhu nemitshingo yemhlanga. Izinhlobo zomculo wesintu, kanye nohlobo lomculo wesiZulu wezingoma zasentshonalanga namalungiselelo amakhwaya ezingoma zomculo wesiZulu, zakhula zaba isiZulu, isigaba somculo okwathi ngokuhamba kwesikhathi sathandwa kakhulu kanye ne-iRagtime. Ngo 1911 uDube nonkosikazi wakhe uNokutela bashicilela ‘Amagama Abantu’, iqoqo lezingoma zezwe lase-Afrika. Le ncwajana ibinezingoma zomshado wesiZulu, izingoma zothando nezingoma zomdanso ‘umququmbelo’.
Umthombo:
IBut hope does not kill: black popular music in Durban, 1913-1939 by Veit Erlmann, in: The people’s city: African life in Twentieth Century Durban edited by Paul Maylam kanye ne-Iain Edwards. Pietermaritzburg: University of Natal Press, 1996.