Princess Constance Magogo Sibilile Mantithi Ngangezinye ka Dinuzulu (1900–1984) was a Zulu princess and musical artist and sister to Zulu King Solomon ka Dinuzulu and Prince Mshiyeni ka Dinuzulu (after whom Prince Mshiyeni Hospital in Umlazi, Durban, was named. She had three children, Prince Mangosuthu

Buthelezi Prince Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi (; 27 August 1928 – 9 September 2023) was a South African politician and Zulu prince who served as the traditional prime minister to the Zulu royal family from 1954 until his death in 2023. He was appoin ...

(1928-2022),

Inkatha Freedom Party The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP; ) is a conservative political party in South Africa, which is a part of the current South African Third Cabinet of Cyril Ramaphosa, government of national unity together with the African National Congress (ANC). A ...

leader, Princess Morginah Sponono Phikabesho Tapoti Ntombiyokuhlupheka Dotwana (1931-1996) who married Dr. Exdras Mafu Dotwana (1924-1996) in Daveyton, Benoni, and Princess Admarah Phokunani Sijumbu Vilakazi (1940-1995).

Biography

Princess Magogo was born in 1900, the daughter of the Zulu King, Dinuzulu kaCetshwayo (1868–1913) and Queen Silomo. She was taught by her mother and her co-wives and she would sleep at their houses. They brought her up and that is where she learnt traditional instruments. In 1926 she married Inkosi Mathole Buthelezi. Princess Magogo composed Zulu

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

and played isigubhu (a stringed bow and a calabash instrument) and isithontolo (a musical instrument which is like a bow which has a string bound down to the middle of the bow) and was also a singer. She continued her music after she married Inkosi Mathole Buthelezi contributing to traditional music. She was a

Seventh-day Adventist The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbat ...

member. As imbongi (

praise singer A griot (; ; Manding: or (in N'Ko: , or in French spelling); also spelt Djali; or / ; ) is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, and/or musician. Griots are masters of communicating stories and history orally, w ...

) she transcended the boundaries of this role, which was traditionally a male preserve, to lament on her marriage and the lives of especially the Zulu people. Her career gained momentum in 1939 with a recording of some of her performances by

Hugh Tracey Hugh Travers Tracey was an English ethnomusicologist. He and his wife collected and archived music from Southern and Central Africa. From the 1920s through the 1970s, Tracey made over 35,000 recordings of African folk music. He popularized the ...

. In making public appearances the Princess again broke custom, maintaining her dedication to music. By the 1950s, her music was widely recorded and played by the

South African Broadcasting Corporation The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is the public broadcaster in South Africa, and provides 19 radio stations (Amplitude modulation, AM/Frequency modulation, FM) as well as 6 television broadcasts and 3 OTT Services to the general ...

(SABC),

David Rycroft David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Damas ...

and

West German Radio (; "West German Broadcasting Cologne"), shortened to WDR (), is a German public-broadcasting institution based in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia with its main office in Cologne. WDR is a constituent member of the consortium of Germ ...

. These recordings afforded Magogo an international audience and recognition. Her work was made largely from existing Zulu songs and folktales, and she extended them into music accompanied by the ugubhu.

Death and legacy

She died in Durban in 1984. In December 2003 she was posthumously awarded the South African National Order of Ikhamanga in Gold for her composition and contribution to the preservation and development of traditional music in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. In 2002 an opera, ''Princess Magogo'', was performed based on her life. It was performed by Opera Africa for three evenings in Durban in May 2002.

Mzilikazi Khumalo James Steven Mzilikazi Khumalo (20 June 1932 – 22 June 2021) was a South African composer and professor emeritus of African languages at the University of the Witwatersrand. Early life Khumalo was born on the farm KwaNgwelu in Natal in 1932. ...

composed the music and the librettist was Themba Msimang.

Sibongile Khumalo Sibongile Khumalo (24 September 1957 – 28 January 2021) was a South African singer and songwriter. She sang Classical music, classical, jazz, opera and traditional Music of South Africa, South African music. She was noted for singing at the in ...

, played the title role.

References

Sources

Constance Buthelezi
on "African Composers" *https://web.archive.org/web/20051219180245/http://www.chfestival.org/publications/Princess_Magogo_Study_Guide.pdf {{DEFAULTSORT:Kadinuzulu, Magogo 1900 births 1984 deaths South African women musicians Zulu princesses Recipients of the Order of Ikhamanga 20th-century South African musicians 20th-century women musicians