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Music of Sophiatown
Lionel Rogosin was very interested in portraying the real South Africa, especially its culture. So he ensured
that Come Back, Africa would document the incredible and richly varied music of the country, specifically that of
young street musicians playing tin whistles as well as the music performed in the shebeens of Sophiatown.
“One of the first Sundays that we were in Johannesburg we walked around the city, which was almost completely
empty, until suddenly we heard music in the distance. Walking on, we found a band of African children. Here and
there throughout the city we found similar groups, and suddenly music seemed to be all around us.” — from A Man
Possessed, by Lionel Rogosin.
At the time of the film’s production, Sophiatown, one of the only mixed-race sections of Johannesburg, served as the
center for black culture in the city. The establishment of “black locations” had largely contributed to the creation and
popularization of street music, which became a focus of black urban life. Specifically, Sophiatown was a place of
artistry; there, many musicians, poets, playwrights, and journalists gained fame.
The young boys featured in the film playing tin whistles, or pennywhistles, created a genre among themselves. This
genre was named kwela, and originated as a warning and a disguise against the police vans whose sirens sound very
similar. The whistle was typically made out of metal and was originally made as a substitute for a reed flute. When
played in a group, the whistles could imitate the sounds of brass bands, reed sounds, and even percussive
instruments. African swing textures and an ostinato foundation (a repetitive musical pattern) are typical of the genre.
The sounds made by these penny whistlers were often paired with vocal jazz improvisation to contribute even
further to the genre.
In 2011, it was revealed that one of the young boys in the film is Lulu Masilela, a well-known jazz saxophonist who
played for The Movers in the 1970s and after that, joined Jonhjon Mkhalali as part of the Boyoyo Boys. The two of
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