Boitumelo to perform African music : Group set to entertain, educate TCC students on three campuses
by Brian Shults, SE News Editor

   South African folk music tells history through tribal music, and SE and NE campuses are inviting local musicians Boitumelo to perform free for students.

   A similar program will be presented on NW Campus; only it will specifically deal with jazz and its roots in African music.

   The music incorporates harmony and storytelling to illustrate the trials of the South African peoples, Rochelle Rabouin, vocal leader of Boitumelo, said.

   Boitumelo is a quartet of vocals, guitar, bass and percussion.

   The group will perform in the Main Commons on SE Campus, Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 11:45 a.m.

   On NE Campus, the quartet will perform Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 12:30 p.m. in the Student Center's Center Corner.

   The History of Jazz will provide musical entertainment as well as an educational perspective on jazz music. Vocalist Ivresse will lecture and sing at 10 a.m. in B-118 East. The program will blend the past with the present to provide an historical perspective.

   Several South African tribes, including the Zulu and Xhosa, influenced the pieces of music, Rabouin said.

   Boitumelo will be part of the campuses' efforts to provide entertainment and education to students during Black History Month.

   February has been designated Black History Month since 1976. The celebration was first instituted as Black History Week in 1972, but later it was extended to incorporate the entire month.

   Chosen because of the birthdays of Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, the month has become a time for celebration and enlightenment on TCC campuses.

   The folk music of South African tribes acted as a social outlet for the people during times of strife, keeping them sane, a parallel to North American African slaves during their times of struggle, Rabouin said.

   Boitumelo's influences are not limited to South Africa. The message of the music may originate there, but the rhythms and style incorporate global influences from France, India and Portugal, Rabouin said.

   Much like the broader transcending messages and styles of the music, the people of South Africa share a common parallel with Americans and other world citizens because they have endured wars and conflict in times of confusion, Rabouin said.