The Societal Value of Art and Music in the Bapedi Culture and the Implications for Music in Healing as a Cultural Phenomenon

Abstract

Bapedi people’s art and music are a functional and necessary part of everyday life and it would be impossible to understand Bapedi culture without an understanding of their art and music. Within Bapedi people’s cultural context, art and music give life to the values, emotions and daily customs of the Bapedi people. The purpose of this article was to investigate the social, cultural and religious functions of art and music within Bapedi people’s cultural context, and to place Bapedi people’s indigenous art in its social context rather than to discuss aesthetic appeal, stylistic zones, and the formal qualities of art objects. Further, it seeks to discover a) the implications for music in healing as a cultural phenomenon; and how art and music are a functional and a necessary part of the daily lives of Bapedi people. The study used a naturalistic approach and the methods of data collection were video recordings of cultural and religious rituals, social ceremonies and celebrations, interviews and observations. The results have shown that in the Bapedi culture, art and music play a pivotal role in many spheres of the Bapedi people’s lives. The results have also demonstrated that Bapedi people express their emotions through music, and use music for regulating their emotions.