South Africa’s struggle songs against apartheid come from a long tradition of resistance

Origin date: 20 October 2022
Updated: 2 Sep 2026

Members of the Congress of South African Trade Unions sing political songs-1987 — Members of the Congress of South African Trade Unions sing political songs in 1987 in Johannesburg-Photograph by Walter Dhladhla-AFP via Getty Images

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Summary

Struggle songs, also known as protest music or liberation songs, are defined as “expressions of discontent or dissent” used by politically disenfranchised protesters to influence political conversations and express emotions.

How we know this

01This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Copyright © 2010–2026, The Conversation Africa, Inc.DOI - https://doi.org/10.64628/AAJ.6pcnqttkq Nkoala, S. (2022). South Africa’s struggle songs against apartheid come from a long tradition of resistance, from The Conversation, 20 October 2022 (online). Available at https://theconversation.com. Accessed on 2 September

Last updated · 2 Sep 2026

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2026, September 2). South Africa’s struggle songs against apartheid come from a long tradition of resistance. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/R-0153658

South African History Online (2026) 'South Africa’s struggle songs against apartheid come from a long tradition of resistance', South African History Online, 2 September. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/R-0153658 (Accessed: 19 October 2026).

South African History Online, South Africa’s struggle songs against apartheid come from a long tradition of resistance [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/R-0153658, (accessed 19 October 2026).

"South Africa’s struggle songs against apartheid come from a long tradition of resistance." South African History Online, 2 Sept. 2026, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/R-0153658. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

South African History Online. "South Africa’s struggle songs against apartheid come from a long tradition of resistance." South African History Online. September 2, 2026. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/R-0153658.