Celebrating South African heritage through music and dance

Heritage isn’t just something we remember; it’s something we live every day. In South Africa, our heritage has a beat. You can hear it in the sound of traditional drums in the villages, or the amapiano bass playing loud at a Saturday night groove.

Music and dance have always been part of how we show our feelings, celebrate, and bring people together.

Across all our cultures, rhythm is passed down from one generation to the next, like a family name. In Zulu ceremonies, the loud sound of the isigubhu drum and the strong Indlamu dance show pride and tell stories. Xhosa women dance together in umtyityimbo or umngqungqo, a slow and graceful way to honour tradition. Tsonga women wear bright xibelani skirts and shake their waists with energy and joy.

But in South Africa, our heritage doesn’t stay the same, it grows and changes.

Just look at amapiano. It started in the townships, and now the whole world is dancing to it. With smooth piano sounds, kwaito influences, and lyrics in our own languages, amapiano is more than just music, it’s a lifestyle. You hear it in taxis, at house parties, or in clubs.

And when it comes to dance, we don’t play. Whether it’s the fast moves of pantsula, a quick toyi-toyi during a protest, or a TikTok dance that spreads fast, South Africans love to move. Amapiano may be the sound of the youth, but it’s made with the soul, languages, and rhythm of all our cultures.

We dance at birthdays, weddings, church, funerals, and even in queues if someone plays the right song. We dance to celebrate, to cry, to protest, and to be happy.

At a family braai, when “Adiwele” or “Mnike” starts playing, you just know someone’s uncle will start dancing and showing off. 

Music and dance were also tools of resistance. During apartheid, they brought people together, spread messages, and kept hope alive.

Songs like Senzeni Na? and other struggle chants carried pain, but also power. Today, that spirit lives on in the way artists speak truth, raise awareness, and uplift communities through sound.

This Heritage Month, we’re reminded that our music and dance aren’t just part of our past; they are part of who we are now.

IOL News