Parading respectability: the Christmas Bands Movement in the Western Cape, South Africa and the constitution of subjectivity.

Abstract

Christmas Eve 2005 has finally arrived. The St. Joseph' s Christmas band gathers at around 10p.m. at their clubhouse, the home of the founder member in Fairways, a middle class neighborhood in the southern suburbs of Cape Town. They make their final preparations for their all-night house visitations to the lower middle class area of Mitchell' s Plain where several band members live. They are neatly dressed in a uniform consisting of trousers, belt, shirt and shoes (all white), yellow tie, black blazer with badge, and a black and yellow band tied around the hat which has a dark feather placed dashingly on the right-hand side.1 2 After traveling to Mitchell' s Plain by bus, band members disembark a little distance from the home they will be visiting, and gather in marching files -three abreast -on the left-hand side of the road. The marching files are led by three voorlopers (drum majors)3 starting with the ' senior' voorloper -Mr. Cecil Toockley, followed by the ' junior' voorloper -eleven-year-old Cheslyn Noble and the 'tiny tot' voorloper -six-year-old Brighton Esau. Mr. Toockley calls out briskly, "By the left, quick, march!" which sets the band enacting a military-style parade to the member' s home. They accompany their parade with, "Fairest Lord Jesus,"4 played up-tempo on wind and string instruments. Once they reach the house, they gather in a semicircle at the gate to perform two Christmas carols for the awaiting family and neighbors outside. They receive a huge tafel (a table of foods) of local delicacies. Thereafter a member of the band addresses the family and another member is asked to pray before they line up in formation and march back to the bus waiting to transport them to the next family. They perform the same ritual at several members' houses that evening. The hours pass by and it reaches the most beautiful time of the morning -around 3a.m. to 4a.m. It is incredibly quiet and the sea air is fresh. As the band marches by the sleeping houses lights are turned on as some of the occupants peep through the windows to watch them and cheer excitedly; others wave at them sleepily.In my research on the Christmas Bands Movement in the Western Cape (November 2003 to March 2006, which this extract from my field notes speaks to, I have often observed how important it is for the bands to display their respectability and discipline.

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“…The term, ethnocultural dances, is used here to refer to "traditional" South African ethnocultural dances associated with for example Zulu, Afrikaner, and Xhosa cultures. The term also encompasses recently evolving contemporary dances associated with particular indigenous ethnocultural communities, such as the Kaapse Klopse-an integrated dance and music style associated with the Cape Malay (Bruinders, 2012)-and the township jive, which germinated from the swing in Sowetan canteens and social events, spreading to other townships during times of political oppression (Glasser, 2000). Due to limited time, the teaching of diverse ethnocultural dances was basic and rudimentary, with students mainly imitating and mastering movements demonstrated by Marelize, the dance education lecturer.…”

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“… 4. There is an expanding literature on this cultural practice, see Bruinders (2010, 2013, 2017, 2018). …”

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“… 8. For a more detailed discussion of Minstrels performance and competition, music, its traditions, histories, and geographies, see Baxter (1996), Martin (1999), Mason (2010) and Bruinders (2010). …”