The quest for curricularisation of uMaskandi Zulu traditional music in higher education in the context of Africanisation

In the past decades, the debate on decolonisation and Africanisation has principally been discoursed on the African continent. There has been a growing quest for curriculum decolonisation in South African higher education and developing an Africanised curriculum. However, the decolonisation agenda has paid minimal attention to curricularising African indigenous music in higher education institutions. This neglect could be attributable to various reasons. The main problem faced by African indigenous music today is that higher education institutions are dominated by Western orthodoxy. The neglect of indigenous African music such as uMaskandi Zulu traditional music raises questions about the authenticity of developing an Africanised curriculum. Therefore, this article discusses the quest for curricularisation of uMaskandi Zulu traditional music in higher education in the context of Africanisation. This article implements a qualitative content analysis grounded in evaluating and examining existing documents on a similar subject under the guidance of the research question. This article argues that since curriculum transformation and decolonisation are perceived as important subjects in the quest for curricular Africanisation, there is necessary to curricularise uMaskandi Zulu traditional music. This article concludes by affirming that uMaskandi Zulu traditional music plays an essential role in the sustainability of the economy and entertainment industry. This article further recommends that the curriculum developers, policymakers, and other stakeholders consider developing a uMaskandi Zulu traditional music curriculum.