Gossip: Even as a humble connoisseur of modern African Music, I am not that hip to making classical distinctions that no doubt may and do exist between the works of musicologists that are born , partly or wholly home-bred in Africa and those from other parts of the planet who nonetheless have done and are doing seminal work on African music, from its notation to the sociology and anthropology of African music , and that includes all jazz also known as the great African Music, even if one is inclined to "not privilege Western works over African ones "
What is most memorable about Professor Kwabena Nketia who was the Director of the Institute of African Studies which including dance and drumming and performing arts sections (whilst my Better Half and I were students there, 1970-7) was that he loved his subject so much that he used to smile, while lecturing on African music. He would for instance fondle and lovingly stroke the Gonje he was demonstrably holding in his hand in front of his rapt listeners. ( I have only seen the same kind of love evinced from Mr. Jones, the proprietor of what was once an institution knowns as Jones Antikvariat, in Stockholm, Sweden. On receiving an antiquated first edition of an out out of print classic , I have seen him lovingly stroke and careless the valuable book cover, and smile loving too when it came to discussing the price....)
No denying that the Oyinbo have done a lot of good work on WORLD MUSIC . Of course, we are not just content with celebrating the likes of Susanne Wenger and her husband Ulli Beier who later on turned his attention to the "last area of darkness" , namely Papua New Guinea, but, still in the area of contemporary West African Music, Professor John Collins, one of Professor Nketia's successors as director of the Institute, has contributed immensely as researcher, performer , recorder and promoter of Contemporary African Music - as indeed has my other friend from a long time ago, John Miller Chernoff ( once a good friend of Fela) has written about him, but for pure listening pleasure , the most unsurpassed is his collection of recordings of Dagbon Drumming and Akan Drumming
What I have noticed in Europe, (Sweden in particular) is that since Jane Fonda started her Workout Exercises for Women and in the intervening years, Aerobics, there has been a n explosion of what's now known as African Dance course – in Sweden, promoting traditional African Dance , accompanied by the Djembe beat , as spiritual and physical therapy - and one of the first people to start that in this country, was the late Bedu Annan with his " Grounding " and then there are all the various types of Gymping courses ( I once went to an African Dance course being taught by a Swedish lady, who said that she had studied dance in Guinea Conakry – after fifteen minutes of flaying my hands in the air, my arms got tired – as a real African I am more hip oriented....)
Peter Michael Hamel : Music ( The healing power )
Also interesting : What Happens When the Brain Plays a Musical Instrument ...
listening to music lights up the whole brain -- ScienceDaily
On Thursday, 2 August 2018 23:03:55 UTC+2, Kwabena Parry wrote:
I would recommend that in our works we give adequate epistemological sites to African voices. The tome of works of Emeritus Professor JH Kwabena Nketia is central to African classical music and dance. I am not discounting Shusterman's works but let us not privilege Western works over African ones. Just a thought.Kwabena Akurang-Parry
From: usaafric...@googlegroups.com <usaafric...@googlegroups.com > on behalf of Ebrima Kamara <kabaka...@gmail.com>
Sent: August 1, 2018 1:25 PM
To: USA Africa Dialogue Series
Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - African drumming and dancing--Abstract -
African drumming and dancing (ADD) improves self-consciousness, reflexivity and heightens attentiveness.
Dance and rhythm are composed of multiple steps in time and space. Learning each beat/dance step
separately focuses attention on specific body parts like the arms, neck, feet and spinal column.
This increases self-consciousness and by extension improves the quality of life.
The meta-theory of the study is Richard Shusterman's somaeastics -
understanding of the body as formable and a place of "sensory aesthetic appreciation".
Body, mind and culture constitute the basis of both conscious/unconscious, actions/reactions.
Therefore, to maximize human potential requires increased consciousness of body and feeling.
The basic empirical material is interviews with practitioners of ADD in Sweden.
The study found ADD-exercises engage physically, mentally and emotionally.
Experiences like the feeling of strong commitment or responsiveness cultivated through these drills are
transferable to other areas of daily life such as to improve relationship with family and friends,
coworkers and other social contexts.
Keywords: Self-consciousness, body, soul, culture, drums, dance, experience, mindfulness
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