Composing the Music of Africa

Composing the Music of Africa
Author: Malcolm Floyd
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 398
Release: 2018-12-17
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0429864299

First published in 1999, this volume explores the great diversity of music created by African communities is reflected in this book, which discusses the ways in which a wide range of musical forms are composed and performed from Egypt to South Africa and from Ghana to Kenya. As two composers explain here, this diversity provides much inspiration for western contemporary composition. Particular attention is paid to the contexts generate musical creativity. Ceremonies and festivals celebrating birth, death, marriage or rites of passage provide the impetus for much composition and performance, enabling young people to pick up, early on, some of the techniques and styles of which they then become the new exponents. The book also looks at the role played by formal music education programmes and bodies such as the South African Music Rights Organization and the South African Broadcasting Corporation in fostering musical activity, as well as the contribution of composers to the social and political changes that have dominated South African life in recent years.

Kamba Proverbs from Eastern Kenya

Kamba Proverbs from Eastern Kenya
Author: Jeremiah M. Kitunda
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer
Total Pages: 463
Release: 2021
Genre: Foreign Language Study
ISBN: 1847012809

A unique historical and linguistic resource for those in anthropology, art, folklore, history, linguistics, literature, psychology, religion, sociology, and environmental studies, as well as performers and poets. Not simply relics of the past, proverbs are an oral tradition containing historical and anthropological knowledge missing from conventional sources, and as micro-histories, provide a valuable source for the reconstruction of the manners, characteristics, and worldviews of societies. While only a few hundred Kamba proverbs have ever appeared in print, thousands have circulated over time, from the monsoon exchange era of the Roman Empire through the advent of Islam, European imperialism and colonialism to independence. Today, a resurgence of interest in the form has been generated via social media, songs and vernacular radio programmes. This book provides the first, comprehensive collection of Kamba proverbs from Eastern Kenya in their original Kĩkamba language and in translation. Analysing 2,000 proverbs drawn from oral interviews, archival collections, museum artefacts and published sources, the author traces the origins of each and explores their meaning, interpretation and use. Covering a diverse range of subjects that ranges from plants, animals, birds and insects, to weather, land, the roles of men and women, cosmology, ritual and belief, healing, trade, politics and peacemaking, the book offers new insights into Kenya's rural world and the expansion of Kamba society, East African history, language and culture of vital significance for the social sciences. A valuable comparative work for societal change elsewhere in Africa and beyond, the book also suggests an innovative, alternative approach to the study of the African past.

Music and Healing Across Cultures

Music and Healing Across Cultures
Author: David Akombo
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 122
Release: 2006-07-01
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1411689313

Music and Healing Across Cultures unfolds the mechanics of the relationship between music, healing, and the cosmos. It shows the organizing power of this tradition in its ability to even promote mind/body coordination in schizophrenics. This systematic, scientific approach to ethnomusicology and anthropology stands as a beacon light to those researchers who wish to make use of an ancient and wiser time when drums and restraints were preempted by creative energy and inner calm. Those incapable of feeling happiness are found dancing with joy. Those who could not speak are singing.

The Companion to African Literatures

The Companion to African Literatures
Author: G. D. Killam
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Total Pages: 346
Release: 2000
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780253336330

"Refreshing..." -- African Sudies Review "The entries are knowledgeable, thorough, and clearly written.... Highly recommended... " --Choice "...an ambitious reference guide to works on African literature." - African Studies Review "This comprehensive compendium will be a handy companion for anyone working on African literatures. The entries are authoritative and up-to-date, providing reliable information on the hundreds of authors and texts that have contributed to a whole continent's literary flowering." --Bernth Lindfors A comprehensive introduction and guide to African-authored works, with over 1,000 cross-referenced entries covering classics in African writing, literary genres and movements, biographical details of authors, and wider themes linking African, Afro-Caribbean and Afro-American literatures.

Historical Dictionary of Kenya

Historical Dictionary of Kenya
Author: Michael Mwenda Kithinji
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 617
Release: 2024-06-18
Genre: History
ISBN: 1538157462

Kenya has a rich and complex history. Due to the vast discoveries of prehistoric archaeological remains, Kenya is one of the few places in the world with the largest and most complete record of human’s cultural development. Furthermore, the country’s strategic location astride the Indian Ocean and the East African littoral attracted numerous foreigners such as the Arabs, Persians, Portuguese, Americans, British, Chinese, French, and Germans. Additionally, immigrants from throughout Africa and beyond have settled in Kenya to escape conflict or political persecution, while others wanted an opportunity to begin a new life. As a result of being a gateway to the world, the country traditionally has been one of the most important business, cultural, diplomatic, and political centers in Africa. Still, Kenya, like many other countries throughout the world, has been plagued by an increasing array of complex economic, political, and social challenges. Historical Dictionary of Kenya, Fourth Edition contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has more than 500 cross-referenced entries on important personalities as well as aspects of the country’s politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Kenya.

Canciones populares y literatura de África Oriental

Canciones populares y literatura de África Oriental
Author: Aaron Louis Rosenberg
Publisher: El Colegio de Mexico AC
Total Pages: 262
Release: 2013
Genre: Art
ISBN: 6074625816

Este estudio es un replanteamiento de la relación entre canciones y literatura en África oriental. Se examinan, en términos comparativos, las obras literarias y musicales de esta parte del continente con el fin de determinar y describir los caminos a partir de los cuales tales formas de la expresión creativa reflejan y transforman caminos prevalecientes y medios de formación de identidad de las personas cuyas vidas se extienden a través de varias "fronteras" y que desarrollan sentidos "superculturales" de sí mismos. El autor se basa en una extensa investigación de campo, así como en una multitud de entrevistas. La lectura atenta de las canciones y la literatura hace de este libro un estudio convincente para estudiantes de música y literatura africanas, y el análisis de las identidades africanas puede ser realmente para los estudiosos del nacionalismo tanto en África como en el mundo.

History of Song and Dance Among the Kamba of Eastern Kenya. Characteristics of Kamba Song and Dance in the Precolonial Period

History of Song and Dance Among the Kamba of Eastern Kenya. Characteristics of Kamba Song and Dance in the Precolonial Period
Author: Anonym
Publisher:
Total Pages: 32
Release: 2020-04-15
Genre:
ISBN: 9783346216984

Seminar paper from the year 2019 in the subject African Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, Mount Kenya University (Mount Kenya University), course: Master Degree in History(Arts), language: English, abstract: Song and dance are powerful cultural medium in any society. Song and dance were not only used as a preserver but also a transmitter of history. Kamba community expressed their feeling through song and dance. Song and dance were used in all aspects and perspectives of the Kamba community. This study focuses on the characteristics of Kamba song and dance in the precolonial period. The community originally occupied Makueni, Machakos and Kitui before expanding to other parts of the country. The study seeks discuss the different cultural practices that song and dance was practiced as well as the different types of song and dance and the occasions when they were practiced. Clearly, there is no doubt that song and dance are powerful conveyers and transmitters of a society's history. Indeed, song and dance were used as an avenue of communication. Song and dance in every community has its own characteristics that make it distinct from the other communities. Kamba songs and dance has been part of oral literature which has been passed from one generation to the other through stories and testimonies. The community history, culture and identity were passed on from one generation to the other through song and dance. Traditional musical instruments were also used. Kamba song and dance was utilitarian hence was used as an aspect of identity to the community. With colonization, urbanization and western cultural influences, it is evident that traditional Kamba song and dance have decreased due to the emergence of new idioms that combine African and western elements. Changes to Kamba song and dance occurred as a result of external cultures and the interactions among African societies. Therefore, this study is an eye opener to the dying Kamba traditional song and dance.

The Politics of Everyday Life in Gikuyu Popular Musice of Kenya 1990-2000

The Politics of Everyday Life in Gikuyu Popular Musice of Kenya 1990-2000
Author: Maina wa
Publisher: African Books Collective
Total Pages: 188
Release: 2013-12-29
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9966028471

While probing the politics of everyday in Gikuyu popular music, the main thrust of this book is to unpack the representation of daily struggles through music. Depending mainly on the lyrics of the songs, the study also combines both the textual and the contextual analysis of the music. Music here is studied both as a text, and as an aspect of popular culture. The decade 1990-2000 in Kenya provides two contrasting political developments, which directly impacted on the ordinary Kenyan; firstly, the extremes of the countrys one-party rule were at the peak until when multi-party democracy was re-introduced. This ushered in a new era, but with antecedents in one-party rule, where service delivery was below par and economic mismanagement, corruption, assassinations and detentions continued unabated. It is in this contrasting environment that popular arts proliferated as a way of countering the repressed freedom of expression. This book, therefore, looks at how the Gikuyu musicians reacted and responded to these social and political realities in their songs. Music is discussed as an essential site for creation, re-creation and negotiation of the various forms of identities.