The Zambezi River, the fourth largest river system in Africa, drains seven countries and provides a livelihood for millions of people who live along its banks, catchment and flow. The lower Zambezi is the most productive and biologically diverse of Africa’s tropical floodplains.
The river has given its name to history in many ways: through its use as a metaphor for “Wild Africa”, through its beauty that has lent itself to photography and art, and through a song, Zambezi (Sweet African).
Zambezi (Sweet African), a copy of which is now in the music collection at the studio, was published in 1955, the creation of Nico Carsten and Anton De Waal, to words by Bob Hilliard, and quickly became well-known. It has been performed by many bands in lots of configurations, and was even on the British Top of the Pops television series in 1982 with a version by The Piranhas. This week’s Spotify playlist has versions of Zambezi scattered throughout.
The song comes from the kwela style, a uniquely South African type of music that was popular in the 1950s and that originated in marabi music. It combined elements from jazz and ragtime, influences from Malawian immigrants and marabi to create an infectious pennywhistle-based street music that is distinctly South African.
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