In the Time of Cannibals

The workers who migrate from Lesotho to the mines and cities of neighboring South Africa have developed a rich genre of sung oral poetry - word music - that provides a culturally reflexive and consciously artistic account of what it is to be a migrant. David Coplan discusses every aspect of the Basotho musical literature, taking into account historical conditions, political dynamics, and social forces as well as the styles, artistry, and occasions of performance.