Johnny Clegg, often known as the "White Zulu," was a South African musician, anthropologist, and outspoken anti-apartheid activist whose cross-cultural music challenged South Africa's segregated society. Clegg was born in England, but he was raised in a white community in apartheid South Africa. Clegg’s step-father was a journalist and before he was the age of 12, Clegg had traveled along with his step-father to segregated black townships mostly populated by migrant Zulu workers. His curiosity led him to learn the language, music, and dance from Zulu workers he befriended.

But at that time in South Africa, his new friendships were considered a criminal act. As a young teenager, he was often chased by police for violating the strict segregation laws when he would meet his friends in the township to learn Zulu dance and guitar. This forced Clegg to become curious about the society he had been raised in. He dedicated himself to examining and obliterating the prejudices that were handed down to him by his culture. Clegg’s intimate education in Zulu culture showed him that the fundamental differences apartheid declared were between white and black people were only cultural constructs put in place to divide and control the country. Clegg refused to abide by a system that did not acknowledge the rights and humanity of others and created these barriers.

Clegg brought his study of Zulu music and culture into the academic space and eventually was a professor of anthropology, specializing in Zulu music and dance. He spent his academic career trying to change the perception perpetuated by apartheid that Zulu was ancient, dead, and trivial. He believed that taking the time to truly understand other people’s experiences, cultures, and histories could “facilitate a communication, understanding, and celebration of everyone’s endeavor” and help people understand that true peace comes when we recognize each other’s intrinsic dignity and value. Both his academic work and music was focused on facilitating a common humanity between the many different people in his society.

Clegg forged a strong friendship with Sipho Mchunu, a Zulu musician he had met while visiting the townships. In 1979, they formed Juluka, a band that was a direct challenge to the apartheid regime’s stringent racial laws. While Juluka’s lyrics were not always overtly political, the mere act of a white man and a black man creating music together was a political statement. They challenged apartheid by embodying the very integration that the regime feared. They showed that individual connections between cultures could defy the constraints of an oppressive system.

The scrutiny Clegg and Mchunu faced was significant. Inside South Africa, they grappled with censorship, repression, and physical violence. Though the segregation laws made it difficult to perform in public, Juluka found ways to reach people, performing in private spaces and building a biracial grassroots following. Internationally, they face backlash for defying the cultural boycott imposed by the Musicians Union, which aimed to isolate the apartheid regime. But their unwavering message of equality and their unique take on Zulu music led them to amass international stardom.

Savuka, Clegg’s second mixed-race band, formed after Juluka disbanded in 1986. Clegg continued to use his platform to deliver powerful messages of resistance and reconciliation. Savuka’s songs, sung in Zulu and English, became messages for change, resonating with those who opposed the regime. One of their most popular songs, “Asimbonanga”, was dedicated to the anti-apartheid activists who were imprisoned on Robben Island, including Nelson Mandela and Steven Biko. This song became an anthem of the anti-apartheid movement despite the South African government’s heavy censorship of the song. Both inside and outside of their music, Clegg and his band mates criticized the apartheid government, spoke out against racial justice, and promoted democracy and fair voting rights.

Though Clegg became a large cultural figure in the fight against apartheid, he did not become an activist because of any political ambition. His passion for equality was founded in the relationships he had made. He enlarged the circle of his social inclusion through his friendships with Zulu people, and learning their history, language, and dreams. Clegg knew that being part of this community meant more than supporting justice when it was convenient or safe for him. He and his bandmates were regularly arrested, threatened, and at some points chased out of the country by the South African government. But despite this, Clegg and his band mates continued to write music that would encourage South African people to examine themselves, their beliefs, and their culture. They used their skills, popularity, and energy to help people look past their prejudices, embrace the humanity of themselves and their fellow countrymen, and seek to create “a better quality of life and freedom for all.”

Clegg was also sensitive of the fact that while he was sharing the culture and fighting for the rights of Zulu people, he was doing so as a white man. He had to consider his own position in his society and recognize the privileges he experienced because of his race. But he continually examined himself, his beliefs, and his work. He strove to ethically participate in and share a culture that was not natively his own. Clegg often prefaced his performances with explanations of Zulu culture and history, stories of his personal experiences with the Zulu people, and the need for equality and justice in South Africa. But Clegg also incorporated his own ancestral traditions into his music. With his unique blend of Celtic and Zulu music, Clegg fought against the ideology that races, ethnicities, and tribes make us fundamentally different from one another. He believed that “all culture is human culture” and while our different traditions and experiences create a rich expression of each of our own humanity, we all have “the same human need[s].” As he said, “We are all involved in one project.” In his research, music, and personal relationships, Johnny Clegg built a community through personal relationships where everyone, regardless of race or status, had their humanity respected and where individuals learned to trust and love each other.