The Therapeutic Use of Songs in Apartheid South Africa

Abstract

This chapter explores the social change mechanisms implemented by the oppressed majority in South Africa during the Apartheid period (1948–1991). This is offered as an alternative to the prevailing social history of ideas of Apartheid South Africa which refers to the literature of criticism and disavowal of the role played by professional psychology during Apartheid. Following that literature, several scholars have drawn attention to the negative and appalling use that was made of professional psychology by some South African psychologists such as Hendrik Verwoed, a North American-trained psychologist who was instrumental in promoting the social and political machinations of the Apartheid system. The purpose of this chapter is to showcase some samples of locally produced songs of hope, consolation, and resistance by the oppressed majority, analyze their contexts and contents, and foreground some of the sources of their psychological potency and therapeutic value.