In South Africa, recordings were made among the Pedi and Venda, with the guidance of Denis Ledwaba and George Mhugovani. In Mamabolo, recordings were made of the Mashashane Dinaka group performing a ceremony called ‘unveiling of the grave,’ a wake ceremony intended to welcome back the spirit of the deceased and re-affirm that the spirit is still part of the family.

In Chirungwi and Thouhoundou, recordings were made of the Tshikona, or the reed pipe dance (older boys played the bass pipes while the younger boys played the higher-pitched pipes, with women drumming); the Python dance, called Domba; Marombo, which is ancestral possession music; Tchikona, which is for the chiefs and their different occasions; Chigombela, a women's celebration dance featuring complex rhythms played with leg shakers; and  several different forms of Tiniba, which is the music and songs played for two different initiations for girls. For Tshikona dance, the Venda use giant bass drums carved from one piece of wood.