Song, identity and the state: Julius Malema's Dubul’ ibhunu song as catalyst

Abstract

This article tracks the entry of Julius Malema and his package of skills as a political persona into the South African public domain. It focuses on his use of song, particularly the Dubul’ ibhunu song/chant within the public space and links it to a long tradition of political song. It sets this within a wider context of the aesthetics of power in the postcolony and within older epistemes of performance, language and power. It also discusses the media as both actor and acted upon in relation to Malema. It links the topic of power, rhetoric and its use to inter-generational politics, and to the struggle of youth and the marginalized poor against an entrenched gerontocratic elite.