Listening and hearing Carmen: Sonic cartographies of struggle in U-Carmen eKhayelitsha (2005) | Intellect Skip to content
1981
Volume 11, Issue 3
  • ISSN: 1754-9221
  • E-ISSN: 1754-923X

Abstract

Abstract

Situating (2005) within a diasporic genealogy of black opera that privileges black sonic/aural epistemologies, I am interested in how these knowledges 'disidentify' racialized and gendered hermeneutics of sounding and listening. Through the lens of Katherine McKittrick's (2006), I centre black women's cartographies, imagining the black singing voice as, not only soundscape, but a uniquely embodied black geography. Identifying Carmen's singing voice as an embodied black geography, I discuss the sonic cartographies in through close readings of the film's opening and finale, as well as 'La Habanera'/ 'Lwaz'Uthando'. Embracing isiXhosa with Georges Bizet's score, the film struggles against the sonic colour line, challenging and recalibrating our listening ear. Within this soundscape, responds to the patriarchally imagined femme fatale, presenting a Carmen who struggles against gender-based violence.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/jac_00019_1
2019-12-01
2024-05-03
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Abbott, Lynn, and Seroff, Doug. (2002), Out of Sight: The Rise of African American Popular Music 1889-1895, Jackson:: University Press of Mississippi;.
    [Google Scholar]
  2. André, Naomi. (2016);, 'Carmen in Africa: French legacies and global citizenship'. , The Opera Quarterly, 32:1, pp. 54-76.
    [Google Scholar]
  3. André, Naomi. (2018), Black Opera: History, Power, Engagement, Urbana, Chicago and Springfield:: University of Illinois Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Bakhtiarova, Galina. (2003);, 'A tale of two Habaneras: Transatlantic journeys of a cultural sign'. , Journal of Transatlantic Studies, 1:2, pp. 117-30.
    [Google Scholar]
  5. Barlet, Olivier. (2000), African Cinemas: Decolonizing the Gaze (trans. C. Turner.), London and New York:: Zed Books;.
    [Google Scholar]
  6. Barrett, Lindon. (2001), Blackness and Value: Seeing Double, Cambridge, New York and Melbourne:: Cambridge University Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Beus, Yifen T.. (2013);, '"Postcolonial Beaux" strategem: Singing and dancing back with Carmen in African films'. , in L. Khatib. (ed.), Storytelling in World Cinemas, New York and Chichester:: Columbia University Press;, pp. 90-102.
    [Google Scholar]
  8. Dandridge, Dorothy, and Conrad, Earl. (2000), Everything and Nothing: The Dorothy Dandridge Tragedy, New York:: Harper Collins;.
    [Google Scholar]
  9. Davies, James, and Dovey, Lindiwe. (2010);, 'Bizet in Khayelitsha: U-Carmen eKhayelitsha as audio-visual transculturation'. , Journal of African Media Studies, 2:1, pp. 39-53.
    [Google Scholar]
  10. Doane, Mary Ann. (1980);, 'The voice in the cinema: The articulation of body and space'. , Yale French Studies, 60, pp. 33-50.
    [Google Scholar]
  11. Dornford-May, Mark. (2005), U-Carmen eKhayelitsha, South Africa and UK:: Dimpho Di Kopane;.
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Ehrick, Christine. (2015), Radio and the Gendered Soundscape: Women and Broadcasting in Argentina and Uruguay, 1930-1950, New York:: Cambridge University Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Erlmann, Viet. (1988);, '"A Feeling of Prejudice": Orpheus M. McAdoo and the Virginia Jubilee singers in South Africa 1890-1898'. , Journal of Southern African Studies, 14:3, pp. 331-50.
    [Google Scholar]
  14. Feuer, Jane. (2002);, 'The self-reflective musical and the myth of entertainment'. , in S. Cohan. (ed.), Hollywood Musicals, The Film Reader, London and New York:: Routledge;, pp. 31-40.
    [Google Scholar]
  15. Garcia, Desirée J.. (2014), The Migration of Musical Film: From Ethnic Margins to American Mainstream, New Jersey:: Rutgers University Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  16. Jaji, Tsitsi Ella. (2014), Africa in Stereo: Modernism, Music and Pan-African Solidarity, New York:: Oxford University Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  17. Järviluoma, Helmi, and Moisala, Pirkko. (2004);, 'Not only vision – Analyzing sound and music from the perspective of gender'. , in H. Järviluoma,, P. Moisala, and A. Vilkko. (eds), Gender and Qualitative Methods, London:: Sage;, pp. 84-106.
    [Google Scholar]
  18. Johnson, Martin. (1931), Congorilla: Adventures with Pygmies and Gorillas in Africa, New York:: Brewer, Warren and Putnam;.
    [Google Scholar]
  19. Leicester, H. Marshall, Jr. (1994);, 'Discourse and the film text: Four readings of "Carmen"'. , Cambridge Opera Journal, 6:3, pp. 245-82.
    [Google Scholar]
  20. Lewsen, Simon. (2012);, 'Desire, misogyny and official power in Mark Dornford-May's U-Carmen eKhayelitsha'. , Safundi, 13:3&4, pp. 231-49.
    [Google Scholar]
  21. Manuel, Peter,, Bilby, Kenneth, and Largey, Michael. (eds) (2006), Caribbean Currents: Caribbean Music from Rumba to Reggae, Philadelphia:: Temple University Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  22. Maurice, Alice. (2002);, '"Cinema at Its Source": Synchronizing race and sound in the early talkies'. , Camera Obscura, 17:1, pp. 31-71.
    [Google Scholar]
  23. McKittrick, Katherine. (2006), Demonic Grounds: Black Women and the Cartographies of Struggle, Minneapolis and London:: University of Minnesota Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  24. Mérimée, Prosper. (1998), Carmen and Other Stories (trans. N. Jotcham.), Oxford and New York:: Oxford University Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  25. Moon, Fletcher F.. (2016);, 'So"fisk"ticated ladies and gentlemen: Highlights from 150 years of Fisk University's musical tradition, impact and influence'. , Paper 15, Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations, Nashville:: Tennessee State University;, https://digitalscholarship.tnstate.edu/lib/15/. Accessed 28 February 2019 .
    [Google Scholar]
  26. Peele, Jordan. (2017), Get Out, USA:: Universal Pictures;.
    [Google Scholar]
  27. Preminger, Otto. (1954), Carmen Jones, USA:: Twentieth Century Fox;.
    [Google Scholar]
  28. Ramaka, Joseph Gaï. (2001), Karmen Geï, USA:: California Newsreel;.
    [Google Scholar]
  29. Riley, Boots. (2018), Sorry to Bother You, USA:: Annapurna Pictures;.
    [Google Scholar]
  30. Sarmiento, Nicole. (2013);, 'Graveyards, monuments and African studies'. , Chimurenga Chronic, 10 May, https://chimurengachronic.co.za/graveyards-monuments-and-african-studies/. Accessed 19 January 2019 .
    [Google Scholar]
  31. Smith, Jeff. (2003);, 'Black faces, white voices: The politics of dubbing Carmen Jones'. , The Velvet Light Trap, 51, pp. 29-42.
    [Google Scholar]
  32. Sosibo, Kwanele. (2017);, 'Muyanga settles old scores on a visible stage'. , Mail & Guardian, 12 May, https://mg.co.za/article/2017-05-12-00-muyanga-settles-old-scores-on-a-visible-stage. Accessed 28 February 2019 .
    [Google Scholar]
  33. Stoever, Jennifer Lynn. (2016), The Sonic Color Line: Race and the Cultural Politics of Listening, New York:: New York University Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  34. Townsend, Robert. (2001), Carmen: A Hip Hopera, USA:: New Line Home Entertainment;.
    [Google Scholar]
  35. Ukadike, Frank N.. (1990);, 'Western film images of Africa: Genealogy of an ideological formulation'. , The Black Scholar, 21:2, pp. 30-48.
    [Google Scholar]
  36. Viljoen, Susanna Isobella. (2012);, 'The articulation of context and identity in U-Carmen eKhayelitsha'. , Ph.D. thesis, Potchefstroom:: North-West University;.
    [Google Scholar]
  37. Viljoen, Santisa, and Wenzel, Marita. (2016);, 'The same, yet different: Re-encoding identity in U-Carmen'. , Journal of the Musical Arts in Africa, 13:1&2, pp. 53-70.
    [Google Scholar]
  38. Wynter, Sylvia. (2000);, 'Africa, the west and the analogy of culture: The cinematic text after man'. , in J. Givanni. (ed.), Symbolic Narratives/African Cinema: Audiences, Theory and the Moving Image, London:: The British Film Institute;, pp. 25-76.
    [Google Scholar]
  39. Himmelman, Natasha. (2019);, 'Listening and hearing Carmen: Sonic cartographies of struggle in U-Carmen eKhayelitsha (2005)'. , Journal of African Cinemas, 11:3, pp. 241-60, doi: https://doi.org/10.1386/jac_00019_1
    [Google Scholar]
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journals/10.1386/jac_00019_1
Loading
/content/journals/10.1386/jac_00019_1
Loading

Data & Media loading...

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error