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Glite Dictionary
kwela

kwela

1 9.9
Music from South Africa that has a jazzy sound and uses a small flute called a pennywhistle
  • noun
  • South African
: kwela
  • At the festival, a kwela band played upbeat tunes that had the crowd clapping along.

Examples

  • In his private anguish, he began to rock himself quietly, remembering again at the wedding that unutterable thrill of the single moment when a Kwela jazz band had first struck its first note.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • The lively kwela music filled the dance hall, making everyone want to join in and dance.

  • She learned to play the kwela on her pennywhistle, bringing a touch of South African music to her performances.

Surface Forms

kwela singular
kwelas plural

Etymology

Kwela comes from a Zulu word khwela meaning 'to climb' or 'get up', a fitting name for lively street tunes that made people rise and dance; the sound often came from a bright pennywhistle. So, kwela today means the upbeat, danceable South African jazz style led by the pennywhistle.