Ipi Tombi

This chapter examines the historical significance of Ipi Tombi , a 1974 musical by South African writers Bertha Egnos and her daughter Gail Lakier, and describes it as an episode in the secret history of learning Zulu. Ipi Tombi was produced with the collaboration of black people, contains African music and dance, and was enthusiastically consumed by black audiences. After opening in Johannesburg in March 1974, where it ran for several years at the Brooke Theater, Ipi Tombi toured in various cities worldwide, including New York where it sparked protests from groups who accused the show of being a propaganda ploy by the South African government. The chapter also considers the legend of Johnny Clegg, a pop singer who blended rock with elements of Zulu music and performance, and concludes with a discussion of the meaning of the phrase “Ipi Tombi” as “Where are the girls?”.