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Mbaqanga is a style of South African music with rural Zulu roots that continues to influence musicians worldwide today.

Historically, mbaqanga musicians received little money. For example, Simon Mahlathini Nkabinde, a legendary proponent of this music, died a poor man [1]. This was partly due to the exploitation of black South African musicians at home and abroad, as Mahlathini pointed out. Mbaqanga groups of the 1960s also found it difficult to get air time on local radio stations [2].

By the middle of the 1950s, the evolving indigenous South African music exploded in popularity given its increased reach to a massively growing urban population. A typical area was the township of Sophiatown near Johannesburg, which had since the 1930s offered a black urban lifestyle. Sophiatown and Alexandra were rare "freehold" areas where blacks could own property. Its proximity to Johannesburg's downtown area made Sophiatown attractive to performers eager to explore new avenues of music. The area became an important seed-bed for the rapidly developing black musical culture. But when Sophiatown's residents were forcibly removed to townships such as Soweto, outside Johannesburg, this era came to an end.

One of the earliest innovators of mbaqanga was the Makhona Tsohle Band, a group comprising domestic workers from Pretoria. Mbaqanga, Zulu for steamed cornbread, fused marabi and kwela influences. The cyclic structure of marabi melded with traditional dance styles such as the Zulu indlamu, combined with big band swing. The indlamu input developed into the "African stomp" style, giving a notably African rhythmic impulse to the music and making it quite irresistible to its new audiences.

When Gallo record producer Robert Bopape in 1964 brought together Makhona Tsohle's musicians, Mahlathini, and a female chorus, mbaqanga really took off. Singing stars such as Miriam Makeba, Dolly Rathebe and Letta Mbulu created a large base of fans. Famous mbaqanga musicians included Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens, The Dark City Sisters and the Soul Brothers. Other mbaqanga musicians included Simon Baba Mokoena [3] and West Nkosi.

Mbaqanga's popularity faded during the 1970s, but revived in 1986. The reversal of fortunes was in part due to Paul Simon's incorporation of South African music into his Graceland album (1986) and subsequent tour. Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens' appearances at festivals in France and at Nelson Mandela's 70th birthday concert at Wembley in 1988 signalled its return. White South African musicians influenced by this style include Robin Auld[4]. Veteran Afrikaans piano accordion player Nico Carstens produced a boereqanga hit with Viva Madiba [5].

Today mbaqanga continues to influence musicians worldwide. For example, the Norwegian group Real Ones included a tribute track, All the Way Back (Shades of Mbaqanga), on their 2003 album This is Camping [6].