Biko,
While I might not agree with you about your interpretation of the great Makeba's version (she has a number of them; and that's Blondy, BTW). I like the spirit of your intent. Having taught Africa popular culture for many years here at York, a key section of which is about music, I obviously think that expressive culture and musics in particular tells us a great deal about the past, and of course the various ways in which peoples adapted, choose (and rejected) forms of music from elsewhere, European or otherwise. They are essential elements to try to understand, as it were, the field of meaning that characterizes a great deal of pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial "realities". However, none of the people whom you cite are "traditional", in any sense of that term, if by that you mean drawing upon a field of practice and meaning that are singularly rooted in their communities. Amutabi's piece, which while useful, is musicologically (or ethnomusicologically, for those who prefer this approach to African music) somewhat, dated piece. It needs additional sources, such Agawu (Representing African Music: Postcolonial Notes, Queries, Positions: the most profound aspect of the impact of colonialism . . . [was] the transformation in terms of discourse about African music. . . . This discourse translates into imagined and real presentations and representations of African music, or music by Africans, that have been frozen and stereo-typed') and, amongst others, Jean Kidula's work on church music.
Music in the Life of the African Chu The main issue, through, is that music and performance (you sometimes cannot separate he two) are essential to Africanizing the curriculum.
Cheers,
Pablo
On 2013-02-20 2:54 PM, Biko Agozino wrote:
While I might not agree with you about your interpretation of the great Makeba's version (she has a number of them; and that's Blondy, BTW). I like the spirit of your intent. Having taught Africa popular culture for many years here at York, a key section of which is about music, I obviously think that expressive culture and musics in particular tells us a great deal about the past, and of course the various ways in which peoples adapted, choose (and rejected) forms of music from elsewhere, European or otherwise. They are essential elements to try to understand, as it were, the field of meaning that characterizes a great deal of pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial "realities". However, none of the people whom you cite are "traditional", in any sense of that term, if by that you mean drawing upon a field of practice and meaning that are singularly rooted in their communities. Amutabi's piece, which while useful, is musicologically (or ethnomusicologically, for those who prefer this approach to African music) somewhat, dated piece. It needs additional sources, such Agawu (Representing African Music: Postcolonial Notes, Queries, Positions: the most profound aspect of the impact of colonialism . . . [was] the transformation in terms of discourse about African music. . . . This discourse translates into imagined and real presentations and representations of African music, or music by Africans, that have been frozen and stereo-typed') and, amongst others, Jean Kidula's work on church music.
Cheers,
Pablo
On 2013-02-20 2:54 PM, Biko Agozino wrote:
--Using Toyin Falola's Africanization Knowledge for my Introduction to African Studies class, we are discussing chapter 8 by Amutabi on siansm often do not know their Traditional African Music as a source of cultural history. Here are my reflections, let me know what you think:
Biko
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