The Representatives of African Music - Term Paper Example

African Music Mamady Keita: Mamady Keita was born in August, 1950 in Balandugu, a small village in Guinea. Just before his birth, a soothsayer had prophesized to his mother that her child was destined for fame. As a child he was not very interested in the toys themselves but used to beat them to produce a sound. Sekou Toure, the president of Guinea at that time wished to gather talented musicians and singers to form the National ballet that would promote the Guinea culture across the world. Keita even at the small age of 14 was selected to be a part of one of the five percussionists selected for the National ballet. He was a part of the National ballet until 1986, during which he won numerous gold medals and many other national and international accolades. He wanted to try out his own luck after leaving the National Ballet and moved to Ivory Coast. There he joined a music group Koteba and performed alongside the renowned African stars of that time. These included Kunda of Senegal, and Mory Kante of Guinea. He quickly progressed and became a lead drummer of Ballet Djoliba when he was just 15.. He was named as the Artistic Director in the year 1979, the first drummer ever to be given a position of artistic director. Mamady’s name soon began to be heard outside West Africa and he was persuaded by a group of percussionists form Belgium to teach and perform in Europe. In 1991, he opened his own institution of percussions in Belgium with the name of Tam Tam Mandingue. He also formed his own performance ensemble titled Sewa Ken which meant ‘“Without music there is no joy, without joy there is no music.” The school got worldwide fame and very soon its branches were opened in many famous cities around the world. Mamady decided to take his native culture and music to more borders and in 2003 he shifted his focus from Europe to the United States. Mamady has also been cast in a movie named ‘West Africa’ when was seventeen. He starred in another titled La Vie Platin and also wrote and recorded the soundtrack of the movie. He released an album with the name of “DjembeKan which means ‘the sound of the djembe’. The video contained four solo performances and was meant to show the power and influence of Djembe on its listeners. Djembe is a special type of goblet-shaped drum that is very famous in the African especially Guinean culture. Mamady devotes his time to his personal life as well and lives with his wife Monette Marino in San Diego where he teaches students in his school. He actively tours around the world each year to promote and preserve the tradition of Djembe. He is really dedicated to the cause of promoting Drum and djembe playing and was the first percussionist to organize a drum and dance workshop in association with the Guinea’s Secretary of Arts and culture. The first camp was held in the year 1990 in which students from thirty five countries participated. Since then a three-week camp is held each year at his house in Guinea. Mamada Keita could truly be considered one of greatest names in the African music and he continues to be source of inspiration for all the music lovers around the world. The Mangbetu people: The Mangbetu people are a specific ethnic group living in Congo. A number of religions are prevalent among the Mangbetu people and many different Gods which they worship. The economy of the people depends primarily on farming but some of the people are also involved in fishing and hunting. Yams and Plantains are the most cultivated crops while some cattle farming is also done in their areas. Traditionally only the men are allowed to do the milking. They originated In Sudan in the eighteen century but moved with their entire population to the present day Congo. Mangbetu people are well known for their culture, art and music. Wooden sculptures are a famous form of Mangbetu art. One of the most famous instruments belonging to the Mangbetu is the Mangbetu harp which was created by the Mangbetu people themselves. The corners of the sound box as well as the neck are usually adorned with the studs. The harp produces a very soft melodious sound that is soothing and relaxing to its listeners. The harp has been a very popular instrument among the Mangbetu but the outside influences has reduced its popularity and western instruments like guitar are taking its place. Most of the Mangbetu art is the royal art therefore their sculptures and instruments are usually very beautiful, refined and adorned to give them a royal touch. The best example of this is the Mangbetu harp. Mangbetu musical instruments are more treated as an art because of their unique structure, decoration and shape. Skins of various animals are also used to provide the covering for these instruments. Mangbetu associate divinity and spirituality with material things and this is reflected in their religious beliefs. They associate great importance to the artifacts belonging to their ancestors. The lion’s skin, teeth, tail and claws are considered sacred because lion was especially kept by the ancient Kings to protect their people. Mangbetu people are skilled in pottery, sculpting and building and their works are famous throughout the world. The Mangbetu people have also been linked to cannibalism. A practice really prevalent among the Mangbetu is deforming the babies by binding their heads tightly to provide them with a strange elongated form. Much of the Mangbetu sculpture shows the bodies and heads of male and females. The Mangbetu harp is a long instrument that displays head, chin or other details of the body. Akan People and Music: The major portion of Akan population lives in Ghana. The Akan people migrated to the coastal regions of West Africa in search for better living around the 1400s. They settled themselves and built powerful kingdoms and ruled the lands which were not affected by the colonial powers for a very long time. They had occupied very good land areas that were enriched in natural resources and minerals especially gold. The community flourished as it had access to all the major trading routes. The Akan culture is considered the purest culture in the whole of Africa which has suffered little or no modifications unlike the other existing ethnic groups. The Akan society is composed of a number of different clans which are classified according to the maternal ancestry which means that the people having the same woman ancestor are part of one clan. Akan people have significantly developed during the course of history. The economy and the life of Akan people largely depend on farming. The Akan people strongly believe in the values of morality and spirituality which help keep the community united. Paternal descent is also important as people with the common paternal ancestry take part in similar rituals and ceremonies. Music is an integral part of the Akan people. There are three important types of music prevalent in the Akan society. The first is the ethnic or traditional music which is mostly played in festivals and formal ceremonies especially funerals. The second type is the highlife music mostly meant for the entertainment purposes. The highlife music is actually a mixture of native music and other ‘imported’ forms of music. The last form extremely common among the Akan people is the choral music. It is preformed routinely in concerts, churches, schools, colleges and other similar institutions. The music is treated with respect and everyone in the community including the elders and the children are supposed to attend all the major ceremonies including the most frequently held funeral ceremonies. The language spoken by the Akan people is very rich in proverbs and idioms. Euphemism is a common way of expression among the Akan people which makes their dialect verbose but rich. The Akan people have a very complex social and political system. The community is divided into a number of different kingdoms which have their own practices and traditions. However despite the heterogeneity, they are commonly linked with the same cultural values and are bonded together with the same common language and heritage that goes back centuries ago. Storytelling is very popular among the Akans as it tells the youngsters about their culture and values. Most of the important positions in the society are held by the men. Although men have important role to play in the Akan society, matrilineal relationships are important. Women are given importance in their practices of inheritance. The inheritance of a diseased is supposed to pass on to his sister or brother’s children rather than his own. Youssou N'Dour: Youssou N'Dour is a very famous singer and musician from West Africa. He was born in Senegal in the year 1959 and even in childhood, he showed his talent as a child performer in formal gatherings. He gave his first stage performance at the age of twelve and during his teens he became a member of the ‘Star band’, the most popular music group of Senegal at that time. He quickly became a singing sensation with his own band, Etoile de Dakar in 1979. The band was disbanded when two members left and Youssou formed the Super Etoile in 1981. Super Etoile gave completely new dimensions to the Pop music and a new African pop style was created. He also invented a new form of dance called as ‘fan’ which was an immediate success among the youth. The Super Etoile became very popular not only in Africa but throughout the globe. Many notable names in the music like sting were impressed by his performances and he got an elevated state in the international music. However he is a very down to earth person and always remained dedicated to his homeland. Even after acquiring international fame and numerous awards, he continued to compose albums that were only meant for Senegalese citizens. He however integrated the native mbalax with the western pop and rock to provide the natives with a completely different style of music. He has won several awards including a great hit in the United States with his “Seven Seconds”, a duet sung with Neneh Cherry in the year 1994. His Album ‘Egypt’ earned him a Grammy award in 2005. In 2007, the album ‘Rokku mi Rokka’ was named as one of the top 50 albums of the year by the Rolling magazine. The Super Etoile set a new milestone in the Afro-pop music by releasing an album Immigres in 1985 which became an instant hit in the Africa as well as the United States. He got further exposure in the US when he appeared as a drummer on Paul Simon’s Graceland. He did not restrict himself to US and Africa but also recorded his albums in different famous cities of the world. His ‘Nelson Mandela’ album was recorded and released in Paris in 1986. Youssou was able to take his voice and music to the world when he met Peter Gabriel who went on a global tour with him. It was Peter Gabriel who provided him the much-needed exposure in the US and other western nations. Youssou sand vocals for his ‘So’ album which became a huge hit. He also wrote the official anthem of 1998 FIFA world cup and also performed on it. He was also nominated as the Goodwill ambassador of the Food and Agricultural organization in the year 2000. He was also made a council member of World Future Council in 2007. He has also been honored by the Yale University which presented him with a honorary doctoral degree in Music He has promoted the mbalax and other African forms of music around the world on his tours for more than thirty years. As an acknowledgement for his services to music, he was presented with an honorary doctoral degree in Music by Yale University in 2011. Read More