African Popular Music
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The Line Between Traditional Dances and Bongo Fleva: a Case Study of Youth Participation in Dance Groups in Tanzania Daines Nicodem Sanga
27947 Daines Nicodem Sanga/ Elixir Soc. Sci. 75 (2014) 27947-27952 Available online at www.elixirpublishers.com (Elixir International Journal) Social Science Elixir Soc. Sci. 75 (2014) 27947-27952 The Line between Traditional Dances and Bongo Fleva: a Case Study of Youth Participation in Dance Groups in Tanzania Daines Nicodem Sanga ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article history: This paper development of traditional dances in Tanzania by using the lens of youth Received: 3 May 2013; involved in performance activities. The paper uses firsthand information from four dance Received in revised form: groups; Livangala, Lumumba, UMATI and Bongo fleva artists to argue against less 15 October 2014; participation of youth in dance. The paper revealed that culture; economic and Accepted: 28 October 2014; administrative factors undermine the motivation of youth to participate in traditional dances and, thus, increased their enthusiasm in Bongo fleva. The paper offers a critical analysis of Keywords challenges that youth faced in traditional dances and how such challenges forced them to Youth, turn their interests to Bongo fleva. Following the shift of interests from traditional dances to Traditional dances, Bongo fleva, the paper suggests for social, economic and political transformation to increase Bongo fleva , the participation of youth in dance . Tanzania. © 2014 Elixir All rights reserved This paper uses first hand information gathered between the Introduction year 2010 and 2012 with Livangala, Tanangozi, UMATI and Much has been done pertaining to youth and new culture in Lumumba dance groups, of which the current two groups Tanzania. This is particularly Hip-hop and Bongo fleva. Efforts located in Iringa countryside whereas the later two situated in have been done to trace the history of Bongo fleva and its role in town centres. -
Music of Ghana and Tanzania
MUSIC OF GHANA AND TANZANIA: A BRIEF COMPARISON AND DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS AFRICAN MUSIC SCHOOLS Heather Bergseth A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTERDecember OF 2011MUSIC Committee: David Harnish, Advisor Kara Attrep © 2011 Heather Bergseth All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT David Harnish, Advisor This thesis is based on my engagement and observations of various music schools in Ghana, West Africa, and Tanzania, East Africa. I spent the last three summers learning traditional dance- drumming in Ghana, West Africa. I focus primarily on two schools that I have significant recent experience with: the Dagbe Arts Centre in Kopeyia and the Dagara Music and Arts Center in Medie. While at Dagbe, I studied the music and dance of the Anlo-Ewe ethnic group, a people who live primarily in the Volta region of South-eastern Ghana, but who also inhabit neighboring countries as far as Togo and Benin. I took classes and lessons with the staff as well as with the director of Dagbe, Emmanuel Agbeli, a teacher and performer of Ewe dance-drumming. His father, Godwin Agbeli, founded the Dagbe Arts Centre in order to teach others, including foreigners, the musical styles, dances, and diverse artistic cultures of the Ewe people. The Dagara Music and Arts Center was founded by Bernard Woma, a master drummer and gyil (xylophone) player. The DMC or Dagara Music Center is situated in the town of Medie just outside of Accra. Mr. Woma hosts primarily international students at his compound, focusing on various musical styles, including his own culture, the Dagara, in addition music and dance of the Dagbamba, Ewe, and Ga ethnic groups. -
I the Use of African Music in Jazz from 1926-1964: an Investigation of the Life
The Use of African Music in Jazz From 1926-1964: An Investigation of the Life, Influences, and Music of Randy Weston by Jason John Squinobal Batchelor of Music, Berklee College of Music, 2003 Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Arts and Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Ethnomusicology University of Pittsburgh 2007 i UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES This thesis was presented by Jason John Squinobal It was defended on April 17, 2007 and approved by Dr. Nathan T. Davis, Professor, Music Department Dr. Akin Euba, Professor, Music Department Dr. Eric Moe, Professor, Music Department Thesis Director: Dr. Nathan T. Davis, Professor, Music Department ii Copyright © by Jason John Squinobal 2007 iii The Use of African Music in Jazz From 1926-1964: An Investigation of the Life, Influences, and Music of Randy Weston Jason John Squinobal, M.A. University of Pittsburgh, 2007 ABSTRACT There have been many jazz musicians who have utilized traditional African music in their music. Randy Weston was not the first musician to do so, however he was chosen for this thesis because his experiences, influences, and music clearly demonstrate the importance traditional African culture has played in his life. Randy Weston was born during the Harlem Renaissance. His parents, who lived in Brooklyn at that time, were influenced by the political views that predominated African American culture. Weston’s father, in particular, felt a strong connection to his African heritage and instilled the concept of pan-Africanism and the writings of Marcus Garvey firmly into Randy Weston’s consciousness. -
A Word of Welcome from the Conference Organizer
A word of welcome from the conference organizer Dear conference delegates, Welcome to the Nordic Africa Days 2014 in Uppsala! The Nordic Africa Days (NAD) is the biennial conference which for the past six years has been organized rotatively in each of the Nordic countries. Already since 1969 the Nordic Africa Institute has organised this regular gathering of Nordic scholars studying African issues, and the event has for the past 15 years been formalized under the name of the Nordic Africa Days. The theme of this year’s conference is Misbehaving States and Behaving Citizens? Questions of Governance in African States. We are proud to host two distinguished keynote speakers, Dr Mo Ibrahim and Associate Professor Morten Jerven, addressing the theme from different angles in their speeches entitled “Why Governance Matters” and “Africa by Numbers: Knowledge & Governance”. The conference is funded by long-standing and committed support from the Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian and Icelandic governments. This year, we are also particularly pleased to be able to facilitate participation of about 25 researchers based on the African continent through a generous contribution from Sida (The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency). Providing a platform for Nordic and African researchers to meet and cooperate at NAD is becoming ever more important, in addition to creating a prime meeting place for researchers on Africa within the Nordic region. The main conference venue is Blåsenhus, one of the newest campuses within Uppsala University, situated opposite the Uppsala Castle and surrounded by the Uppsala Botanical Gardens. This particular area of Uppsala has a historical past that goes back 350 years in time and offers many interesting places to visit. -
The Challenge of African Art Music Le Défi De La Musique Savante Africaine Kofi Agawu
Document généré le 30 sept. 2021 18:33 Circuit Musiques contemporaines The Challenge of African Art Music Le défi de la musique savante africaine Kofi Agawu Musiciens sans frontières Résumé de l'article Volume 21, numéro 2, 2011 Cet article livre des réflexions générales sur quelques défis auxquels les compositeurs africains de musique de concert sont confrontés. Le point de URI : https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/1005272ar départ spécifique se trouve dans une anthologie qui date de 2009, Piano Music DOI : https://doi.org/10.7202/1005272ar of Africa and the African Diaspora, rassemblée par le pianiste et chercheur ghanéen William Chapman Nyaho et publiée par Oxford University Press. Aller au sommaire du numéro L’anthologie offre une grande panoplie de réalisations artistiques dans un genre qui est moins associé à l’Afrique que la musique « populaire » urbaine ou la musique « traditionnelle » d’origine précoloniale. En notant les avantages méthodologiques d’une approche qui se base sur des compositions Éditeur(s) individuelles plutôt que sur l’ethnographie, l’auteur note l’importance des Les Presses de l’Université de Montréal rencontres de Steve Reich et György Ligeti avec des répertoires africains divers. Puis, se penchant sur un choix de pièces tirées de l’anthologie, l’article rend compte de l’héritage multiple du compositeur africain et la façon dont cet ISSN héritage influence ses choix de sons, rythmes et phraséologie. Des extraits 1183-1693 (imprimé) d’oeuvres de Nketia, Uzoigwe, Euba, Labi et Osman servent d’illustrations à cet 1488-9692 (numérique) article. Découvrir la revue Citer cet article Agawu, K. -
Halifu Osumare, the Hiplife in Ghana: West Africa Indigenization of Hip-Hop, New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012, 219 Pp., $85.00 (Hardcover)
International Journal of Communication 7 (2013), Book Review 1501–1504 1932–8036/2013BKR0009 Halifu Osumare, The Hiplife in Ghana: West Africa Indigenization of Hip-Hop, New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012, 219 pp., $85.00 (hardcover). Reviewed by Angela Anima-Korang Southern Illinois University Carbondale Ghana’s music industry can be described as a thriving one, much like its film industry. The West African sovereign state is well on its way to becoming a force to reckon with on the international music market. With such contemporary rap artists as Sarkodie, Fuse ODG (Azonto), Reggie Rockstone, R2Bs, and Edem in its fold, Ghana’s music is transcending borders and penetrating international markets. Historically, Ghana’s varying ethnic groups, as well as its interaction with countries on the continent, greatly influences the genres of music that the country has created over the years. Traditionally, Ghana’s music is geographically categorized by the types of musical instruments used: Music originating from the North uses stringed instruments and high-pitched voices; and music emanating from the Coast features drums and relatively low-pitched voice intermissions. Up until the 1990s, “highlife” was the most popular form of music in Ghana, borrowing from jazz, swing, rock, soukous, and mostly music to which the colonizers had listened. Highlife switched from the traditional form with drums to a music genre characterized by the electric guitar. “Burger-highlife” then erupted as a form of highlife generated by artists who had settled out of Ghana (primarily in Germany), but who still felt connected to the motherland through music, such as Ben Brako, George Darko, and Pat Thomas. -
University of Education, Winneba
University of Education, Winneba http://ir.uew.edu.gh UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH PHYSICAL EDUCATION, RECREATION AND SPORTS THE ROLE OF HIPLIFE MUSIC IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF PHYSICAL FITNESS AMONG STUDENTS OF MABANG SENIOR HIGH TECHNICAL SCHOOL ASHANTI REGION ASARE-OWUSU ERIC 2013 University of Education, Winneba http://ir.uew.edu.gh UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA THE ROLE OF HIPLIFE MUSIC IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF PHYSICAL FITNESS AMONG STUDENTS OF MABANG SENIOR HIGH TECHNICAL SCHOOL ASHANTI REGION BY ASARE-OWUSU ERIC 7100090003 THESIS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH PHYSICAL EDUCATION, RECREATION AND SPORTS, FACULTY OF SCIENCE EDUCATION SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF MASTER OF EDUCATION. (PHYSICAL EDUCATION) AUGUST, 2013 University of Education, Winneba http://ir.uew.edu.gh DECLARATION Student’s Declaration I, Eric Asare-Owusu hereby declare that this thesis, with the exception of quotations and references contained in published works which have all been identified and duly acknowledged, is entirely my own original work, and it has not been submitted, either in part or whole, for another degree elsewhere. Signature ……………………………. Date…………………………….. Supervisor’s Declaration I hereby declare that the preparation and presentation of this work was supervised in accordance with the guidelines for supervision of Thesis as laid down by the University of Education, Winneba. Name of Supervisor: Dr. Henry Augustine Pufaa Signature ……………………………. Date………………………….. University of Education, Winneba http://ir.uew.edu.gh DEDICATION This work is dedicated to my dear wife Selina Baidoo who has supported me thus far and my children Hanna Owusuaa Duben, Felix Duben Asare, Kofi Asamoa Asare and Yaw Ofori Asare. -
Mirror, Mediator, and Prophet: the Music Indaba of Late-Apartheid South Africa
VOL. 42, NO. 1 ETHNOMUSICOLOGY WINTER 1998 Mirror, Mediator, and Prophet: The Music Indaba of Late-Apartheid South Africa INGRID BIANCA BYERLY DUKE UNIVERSITY his article explores a movement of creative initiative, from 1960 to T 1990, that greatly influenced the course of history in South Africa.1 It is a movement which holds a deep affiliation for me, not merely through an extended submersion and profound interest in it, but also because of the co-incidence of its timing with my life in South Africa. On the fateful day of the bloody Sharpeville march on 21 March 1960, I was celebrating my first birthday in a peaceful coastal town in the Cape Province. Three decades later, on the weekend of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison in February 1990, I was preparing to leave for the United States to further my studies in the social theories that lay at the base of the remarkable musical movement that had long engaged me. This musical phenomenon therefore spans exactly the three decades of my early life in South Africa. I feel privi- leged to have experienced its development—not only through growing up in the center of this musical moment, but particularly through a deepen- ing interest, and consequently, an active participation in its peak during the mid-1980s. I call this movement the Music Indaba, for it involved all sec- tors of the complex South African society, and provided a leading site within which the dilemmas of the late-apartheid era could be explored and re- solved, particularly issues concerning identity, communication and social change. -
FOR CODESRIA Anyidoho/Madame Virginie Niang Sept 17-19
1 THE IMPORTANCE OF AFRICAN POPULAR MUSIC STUDIES FOR GHANAIAN/AFRICAN STUDENTS by John Collins INTRODUCTION A) The role of popular music and mass entertainment in the independence struggle and the consequent importance of local popular performance in the vision of pioneer African leaders: i.e. a mass music for a mass party (eg highlife as the product of the ‘veranda boy’ class). Thus the state support of popular as well as traditional and western type art/religious music sectors by the pioneering leaders Nkrumah, Nyere, Sekou Toure, President Keita. Their approach can therefore be considered as tri-musical B) The failure of this tri-musical approach being transmitted into the Ghanaian tertiary education system. This became rather bi-musical; i.e. the training of students only in traditional African and imported western art idioms C) Some reasons for this intellectual university hostility to popular music/culture 1) imported elitist, Marxist and Frankfurt School ideas concerning the ephemeral, frivolous, low status and inconsequential nature (cf. high art) of popular music and performance. 2) Residual African traditional attitudes towards professional musicians. Low regard and apprehension of such indigenous professional traditional groups as West African jalis/griots, praise drummers and goje players D) The negative consequences of the narrow bi-musical approach has effected both the university students and the evolution of local musical forms such as highlife music and the concert party. It fosters elitist attitudes by students who do not consider the creative role of the masses and intermediate classes important in musical development. It has in a lack of intellectual input into local popular music: few books and biographies on the topic, no intellectual input into it. -
Trace Mziki Celebrates African Greatest Music Talents at Afrimma Awards 2017
PRESS RELEASE NAIROBI, SEPT. 28 2017 TRACE MZIKI CELEBRATES AFRICAN GREATEST MUSIC TALENTS AT AFRIMMA AWARDS 2017 TRACE MZIKI, the channel dedicated to Swahili, Eastern and Pan African music is supporting the 4th annual AFRIMMA Awards and Music Festival 2017 in Dallas (TX) on Sunday October 8th. Since 2014, AFRIMMA awards and celebrates new talents from Africa and the African diaspora. As the first ceremony outside Africa showcasing Afrobeats, Assiko, Bongo, Coupé Decalé, Funana, Genge, Highlife, Hiplife, Kwaito or Soukous, AFRIMMA will be co-hosted for the first time by Kenyan stand up comedian Chipukeezy, alongside Nigerian comedian Basketmouth. This year, AFRIMMA promises a bigger show. The event will offer a music festival experience with headlines such as Tanzania sensation Diamond Platnumz as well as Uganda’s Triplets Ghetto Kids who were featured in French Montana’s “Unforgettable” music video. Other headline acts confirmed to attend are Fally Ipupa, C4 Pedro, Eddy Kenzo and Tiwa Savage. This year’s events include a Pre-Show with London band The Compozers, a Pre-Party, a Pool Party, A Music Panel, Fashion Show, as well as a grand After Party after the main show to close AFRIMMA 2017. Two new categories have also been added to the 2017 edition of AFRIMMA : Best Lusophone artist and Best Francophone artist. Anderson Obiagwu, CEO of AFRIMMA/BIG A declares, “TRACE has been a proud supporter of African music and important matters and causes in Africa. AFRIMMA is delighted to partner with TRACE in a synergy of brands synonymous to African music. It’s all about Africa as Africa’s biggest music award ceremony and Africa’s biggest music TV group brings you an unforgettable AFRIMMA experience.” Launched in 2016, TRACE Mziki with its presence at AFRIMMA allows TRACE group to continue to dedicate their love and support to African artists, whether they are newcomers or internationally acclaimed. -
Imagination and the Practice of Rapping in Dar Es Salaam
David Kerr THUGS AND GANGSTERS: IMAGINAtiON AND THE PRACtiCE OF RAppiNG IN DAR ES SALAAM abstract Since the arrival of hip hop in Tanzania in the 1980s, a diverse and vibrant range of musical genres has developed in Tanzania’s commercial capital, Dar es Salaam. Incorporating rapping, these new musical genres and their associated practices have produced new imaginative spaces, social practices, and identities. In this paper, I argue that rappers have appropriated signs and symbols from the transnational image of hip hop to cast themselves as ‘thugs’ or ‘gangsters’, simultaneously imbuing these symbols with distinctly Tanzanian political conceptions of hard work (kazi ya jasho), justice (haki) and self-reliance (kujitegemea). This article examines how the persona of the rapper acts as a nexus for transnational and local moral and ethical conceptions such as self-reliance, strength, and struggle. Exploring the complicated, ambiguous, and contradictory nature of cultural production in contemporary Tanzania, I argue that rappers use the practice of rapping to negotiate both the socialist past and neo-liberal present. Drawing on the work of De Certeau and Graeber, I argue that rappers use these circulating signs, symbols, and concepts both tactically and strategically to generate value, shape social reality and inscribe themselves into the social and political fabric of everyday life. Keywords: hip hop, popular music, Tanzania, Ujamaa, value INTRODUCTION as well as our individual hopes and ambitions. Octavian and Richard, who as rappers adopt It is mid-morning in June 2011 and I am sat with the names O-Key and Kizito, are both students two ‘underground’ rappers, Octavian Thomas and live close to where we meet. -
Identity, Nationalism, and Resistance in African Popular Music
Instructor: Jeffrey Callen, Ph.D., Adjunct Faculty, Department of Performing Arts, University of San Francisco SYLLABUS ETHNOMUSICOLOGY 98T: IDENTITY, NATIONALISM AND RESISTANCE IN AFRICAN POPULAR MUSIC How are significant cultural changes reflected in popular music? How does popular music express the aspirations of musicians and fans? Can popular music help you create a different sense of who you are? Course Statement: The goal of this course is to encourage you to think critically about popular music. Our focus will be on how popular music in Africa expresses people’s hopes and aspirations, and sense of who they are. Through six case studies, we will examine the role popular music plays in the formation of national and transnational identities in Africa, and in mobilizing cultural and political resistance. We will look at a wide variety of African musical styles from Congolese rumba of the 1950s to hip-hop in a variety of African countries today. Readings: There is one required book for this course: Music is the Weapon of the Future by Frank Tenaille. Additional readings are posted on the Blackboard site for this class. Readings are to be done prior to the week in which they are discussed Listenings: Listenings (posted on Blackboard) are to be done prior to the week in which they are discussed. If entire albums are assigned for listening, listen to as much as you have time for. The Course Blog: The course blog will be an important part of this course. On it you will post your reactions to the class listenings and readings. It also lists internet resources that will prove helpful in finding supplemental information on class subjects and in preparing your final research project.