AFRICAN AND WESTERN ASPECTS OF BALLANTA'S OPERA "AFIWA"

untitledAfrican music is intricately interwoven with development
issues. The texts of twelve authors – and the music on the
attached cd – mirror ways in which music reflects and
interacts with development of society. Music is a dynamic
and highly charged force that affects and embraces intel-
lectual property rights, democracy, economic growth, cen-
sorship, media, tradition, globalisation, and education.
The discussions extend over issues of oppression of
women, culture, and human rights.
Sidastudies no. 12 Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency Address: SE–105 25 Stockholm, Sweden. Visiting address: Sveavägen 20, Stockholm. Tel +46 8 698 50 00, e-mail: [email protected] www.sida.se
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Sounds of Change – Social and Political Features of Music in AfricaContributing Authors and Interviewees
Sida studies
no.12
THE SIDA STUDIES-SERIES OFFERS A SELECTION OF THE REPORTS AND STUDIES COMMISSIONED BY DIFFERENT
DEPARTMENTS AT SIDA. THE SELECTION IS MADE TO REFLECT ISSUES OF RELEVANCE TO SIDA’S POLICIES AND PRACTICES,
BUT EACH REPORT EXPRESSES THE VIEWS AND FINDINGS OF ITS WRITER(S).
EDITOR STIG-MAGNUS THORSÉN
Marie Korpe Wolfgang Bender Richard Traoré Krister Malm
James Flolu Stig-Magnus Thorsén
J. H. Kwabena Nketia
Studies 12 omslag_Edita 04-11-30 09.50 Sida 1
No 1 Moldova’s Transition to Destitution. Per Ronnås and Nina Orlova. Art. nr. D 0708
No 2 Beneficiary, Consumer, Citizen: Perspectives on Participation for Poverty Reduction.
Andrea Cornwall. Art. nr. D 0718
No 3 Discussing Women’s Empowerment – Theory and Practice. Art. nr. D 0738
No 4 On Democracy’s Sustainability – Transition in Guinea-Bissau. Lars Rudebeck.
Art. nr. D 0758
No 5 The Least Developed Countries and World Trade. Stefan de Vylder, Gunnel Axelsson
Nycander and Marianne Laanatza. Art. nr. D 0792
Swedish version: De minst utvecklade länderna och världshandeln. Art. nr. D 0769
No 6 Programme Support and Public Finance Management – A New Role for Bilateral
Donors in Poverty Strategy Work. Ulrika Brobäck and Stefan Sjölander. Art. nr. D 0882
No 7 One Step Further – Responses to HIV/AIDS. Art. nr. 1693en
No 8 International Labour Migrants: Unsung heroes of globalisation.
Bhargavi Ramamurthy. Art. nr. Sida2899en
No 9 Migranter på den internationella arbetsmarknaden: Globaliseringens förbisedda hjältar.
Bhargavi Ramamurthy. Art. nr. Sida2899sv
No 10 The Culture of Power in Contemporary Ethiopian Political Life. Sarah Vaughan and
Kjetil Tronvoll. Art. nr. Sida3358en
No 11 Lifelong Learning in the South: Critical Issues and Opportunities for Adult Education.
Rosa María Torres. Art. nr. SIDA4303en
Previous issues in the Sida Studies series:Audio examples
1. Oliver Mtukudzi & The Black Spirits: Wasakara (7’27”)
2. Remmy Ongala: Mambo Kwa Soksi (8’01”)
3. Maryam Mursal: Somali Udiida Ceb (5’38”)
4. Matoub Lounès: Sserhass Ayadu (4’01”)
5. Roger Lucey: Lungile Tabalaza (3’25”)
6. Wendo: Marie-Louise (3’22”)
7. Georges Ouédraogo: Rosalie (4’09”)
8. Doundosy: Djecka (3’22”)
9. The Perfect Generation: Kakoolo No. 1 Hit (4’49”)
10. Rose Quaye: Enyidado Egya (5’25”)
11. Kwanongoma College of Music: Amaxoxo (2’07”)
Total playing time for all audio examples: 52’16”
Further notes and comments on the audio examples on page 217.
Sida Studies No. 12
Sounds of Change – Social and Political Features of Music in Africa
EDITOR: STIG-MAGNUS THORSÉN
SIDA4308en
APPENDIX: AUDIO EXAMPLES 1. Oliver Mtukudzi & The Black Spirits: Wasakara (7’27”). 2. Remmy Ongala: Mambo Kwa Soksi (8’01”).
3. Maryam Mursal: Somali Udiida Ceb (5’38”). 4. Matoub Lounès: Sserhass Ayadu (4’01”). 5. Roger Lucey: Lungile Tabalaza (3’25”). 6. Wendo: Marie-Louise (3’22”). 7. Georges Ouédraogo: Rosalie (4’09”). 8. Doundosy: Djecka (3’22”). 9. The Perfect Generation: Kakoolo No. 1 Hit (4’49”).
10. Rose Quaye: Enyidado Egya (5’25”). 11. Kwanongoma College of Music: Amaxoxo (2’07”). Total playing time for all audio examples: 52’16”
This compilation © by Sida 2004 with permission of original copyright holders. See Sida Studies No. 12.
Mastering: Fredric Bergström
Pressed by: Digitalfabriken
All rights reserved.
Studies 12 omslag_Edita 04-11-30 09.50 Sida 2
Sounds of Change – Social and Political Features of Music in Africa
Sida Studies can be ordered by visiting Sida’s website: www.sida.se
Sida Studies can also be ordered from Sida’s Information Centre.
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel. +46 8 698 55 80
The Sida Studies-series offers a selection of the reports and studies recently commissioned
by different departments at Sida. The selection is made to reflect issues of relevance to Sida’s
policies and practices, but each report expresses the views and findings of its writer(s).
Sida Studies no. 12
Editor: Stig-Magnus Thorsén
Editorial group: Krister Malm, Mai Palmberg, Maria Arnqvist, and Maria Gasch.
Copyright: Sida
issn 1404-9562
isbn 91-586-8415-8
Sidastudies
Sounds of Change – Social and Political Features of Music in Africa
EDITOR STIG-MAGNUS THORSÉN
One of the aims of Sida Studies is that they should be a bridge between good scientific work and popular reading. They should be of innovative value to development and be interesting and relevant for readers outside research institutions and universities.
In the study Sounds of Change a number of music researchers and stake- holders from Africa and the Nordic countries describe the role of music in political, social, economic and not least, cultural development on the African continent from their own different points of departure. To Sida, the articles of the individual authors form a stimulating and thought-pro- voking view of the role and possibilities of music, not only in its own right but also as part of the development agenda. Here we can acquire knowl- edge to improve our analyses and follow-up of the overall objective of Swedish development cooperation “to help create conditions that will en- able the poor to improve their lives.”
Sida’s point of departure is that all development is generated by peo- ple within their own societies and can never be created from outside. The links to poverty reduction and to the goals of development cooperation in the cultural field are often not evident at a glance. However, this report will help us. Amongst other things, the study touches upon music as a po- litical protest, and thus illustrates the role of music as a mobilising factor for political change; and it also touches upon music as a product for ex- port and import and thus illustrates the role of music as a factor in eco- nomic growth.
With the aid of illustrations and the attached cd with audio examples, the study takes up conflicting circumstances, events and attitudes in soci- ety, exemplified in the concepts of modernity, tradition, colonialism, gen- der, identity, censorship, profit, resistance and political oppression. The positive influence of music vibrates between the expressions of conflict in the lines and tones of this study – both as a goal in itself and as a means to achieve change in the everyday lives of people, in which conflicts are often present.
The study is intended for an interested public and for cultural work- ers and cultural institutions inside and outside Africa. It is also intended for researchers and research establishments working in the field of music and social science, and for libraries.
We would like to extend our very warm thanks to Professor Stig- Magnus Thorsén at the School of Music and Music Education at Göte-
Foreword by Sida
borg University, who has been the editor of this study and who has per- formed his task with great skill and sensibility. We would also very much like to thank the editorial group, Krister Malm, Mai Palmberg, Maria Arnqvist and Maria Gasch for their dedicated work in the study and, finally, we would indeed like to warmly thank all authors to the different chapters.
Stockholm, November 2004
Lena Johansson Åke Löfgren Head of Division for Senior Programme Officer Culture and Media Sida Sida
FOREWORD 5
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 9
Susan Makore (Zimbabwe)
Annemette Kirkegaard (Denmark)
Ole Reitov & Marie Korpe (Denmark)
4. “NOT TO BE BROADCASTED” ...................................................................... 70
Wolfgang Bender (Germany)
Interview with Richard Traoré (Burkina Faso)
6. MUSIC INDUSTRY IN BURKINA FASO AND MALI –
THE CASE OF SEYDONI PRODUCTION ....................................................... 107
Krister Malm (Sweden)
TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE IN AFRICA ...................................................... 120
Richard Ssewakiryanga (Uganda)
RECONFIGURATION OF WESTERN MUSIC BY UGANDAN YOUTH .................. 135
Caleb Okumu Chrispo (Kenya)
AFRICAN MUSIC IN SOUTH AFRICAN TELEVISION ....................................... 152
James Flolu (Ghana)
TRAINING FOR THE CHURCHES OR FOR THE SCHOOLS? ............................. 164
Contents
11. SWEDISH MISSION AND MUSIC EDUCATION IN SOUTHERN AFRICA ............. 180
Interview with J. H. Kwabena Nketia (Ghana)
12. “CONTEMPORARY IS ONLY AN ANALYTICAL TOOL” .................................... 199
NOTES ON AUTHORS AND INTERVIEWEES .................................................................. 212
APPENDIX: AUDIO EXAMPLES ON THE ATTACHED CD .................................................. 217
Is it possible to hear when societies are changing? Yes, in fact. Sound – in the form we call music – plays an important role in the life and develop- ment of societies. We can say that music has social and political features, among many other things. In this book you – the reader – will be given concrete examples of ways in which music operates in Africa, with an em- phasis on different social processes, which you can also listen to on the at- tached cd. In future cooperation between Nordic and African countries it is important to understand what is common to these conflicts from the global perspective, and what is specific to Africa. The texts will hopeful- ly provide musical insight and inspiration as a contribution to coopera- tion of this type.
The discussion in the book is based on the idea that culture is a cen- tral factor in the life of societies. Music is certainly an arena of its own. It has its own ways of thinking and communicating. Music also intervenes in and exerts an influence on discussions taking place in other sectors. Music is a cause of, and a reflection of, changes in societies. Thus, for ex- ample, freedom songs (Chimurenga songs in Zimbabwe, the Toyi Toyi dance in South Africa, or Remmy Ongala’s songs in Tanzania) have provided powerful support for democratisation processes. At the same time, the de- sire of the younger generation for modernisation of society has been ex- pressed in current rap lyrics. Richard Ssewakiryanga summarises the con- flict between modern global rap and local traditions in Chapter 8 with the words “bringing the global home”. Several themes recur throughout the book, which demonstrate this dual bond between society and music: the conflict between different economic systems, the after-effects of colonial- ism, or the practice of democracy.
Music is both volatile and concrete in its character. Think, for exam- ple, about the mbira, which is described in Chapter 1. This is a musical in-
Introduction STIG-MAGNUS THORSÉN
strument that means a great deal today in the interaction between tradi- tion, spirituality, and current politics. The first colonisers regarded it as a “thumb piano”, believing that it was merely a primitive copy of the West- ern instrument. However, the instrument – a sounding board with metal tongues, often with a calabash, which amplifies the sound – has been ex- tensively developed in many African countries. Its multi-facetted tone sys- tem is a bearer of symbols and attitudes that cut right through verbal rhetoric. Different types of mbiras indicate affiliation, Western influence, or authenticity. Social changes, the potential for development and vital functions interact in this way with the tool of concrete music. The man- music-society triangle is present whenever a tone is sung or a dance-step is taken, an assumption that will be nurtured by the evidence in this an- thology.
Sida gave me and an editorial group the assignment of collecting new texts that discuss music in Africa. Gradually several different aims emerged in this project: in the first place an aspiration to provide mater- ial that would provide an understanding of the role of music in the de- velopment of societies. In this respect, it is also important to shed concrete light on current conditions for African music – a field that is often sur- rounded by myths and notions. One central idea was also to present the perspectives of European and African researchers and stakeholders to ini- tiate a debate between experts from different parts of the world.
In the book, you will meet twelve different voices, accompanied by eleven pieces of music. All are interwoven by the following themes.
Symbols of Resistance and Alternatives
Listen to the cd track Wasakara (cd track 1), performed by Oliver Mtukudzi, and put it into context by reading Mai Palmberg’s article (Chapter 1). A power game emerges on the soundtrack in the form of music and lyrics that symbolises President Mugabe’s struggle against his old age in a political system in crisis. This is done in veiled terms but, for anyone living in the middle of the struggle, the meaning is clear. The rep- resentatives of official power are irritated about the elusive song and for, the opposition movement, the song symbolises something that they can- not speak about. Thus music, texts, singers’ voices, instruments, and per- formances can be used as political weapons. Opposition and alternatives are thus experienced and processed at a deeper level than through polit- ical slogans.
Susan Makore takes the discussion on developments in Zimbabwe fur-
10 INTRODUCTION
ther, and sees the role of music from a feminist perspective (Chapter 2). Women artists face a double challenge – to be treated as serious, talent- ed performers; and to change the stereotyping messages and images about women that are communicated through music and other forms of popu- lar culture. Such messages have an enormous influence in shaping the real language of gender and power relations in a culture and a counter- discourse is desperately needed.
In both Palmberg’s and Makore’ s chapters, we can read how the es- tablished powers can use the power of music to their own advantage. Mu- gabe’s political power is exercised, for example, through a culture of pro- paganda. The men in the media industry possess the means of produc- tion, which are also used for reactionary purposes. A further force in the struggle for freedom in Zimbabwe for example is the growth of gospel music. On the one hand, this genre provides a hopeful alternative to poverty and despair, on the other hand it is an extremely lucrative musi- cal practice. In fact, gospel is the only form of music in Zimbabwe which is financially viable. The genre is the subject of dispute. It is a question of whether this Christian music solves problems for individuals but hampers the political struggle. In other words the role of culture in modern Africa is complicated and unpredictable.
Political and Commercial Censorship
There are several structures that filter the free flow of music and reduce artistic freedom of expression. Censorship is a multi-dimensional phenomenon of this type. Annemette Kirkegaard (Chapter 3) describes how music has sometimes been subjected to political oppression. A mu- sician, Remmy Ongala, has been the champion of democracy in Tanza- nia for a quarter of a century. Kirkegaard describes how his role as “spokesman for the poor people” rapidly came into conflict with those in power. The result: censorship and self-censorship has become a compli- cated, destructive power directed against the democratic potential of music and poetry. The antidote is implicit humour that winds its way through the vines.
Ongala is described by Kirkegaard as an example of how a musician can take advantage of the functions of music to intensify the political fea- tures of music. She analyses a piece of music in which the path followed by the music is changed in interaction with the text and an invitation to dance. Ongala also tackles the Aids issue in the film “Bongo Beat”. Lis- ten to the same theme in Ongala’s much-discussed Mambo Kwa Soksi
INTRODUCTION 11
(Things with Socks, cd track 2). Ongala seems to be very well aware of the double meaning of texts.
The issue of censorship is also examined by Maria Korpe and Ole Re- itov (Chapter 4). Their point of departure is the work done by freemuse, an organisation that monitors the censorship of music on a global basis. The authors describe the negative effect that censorship has on society in general. It is not merely democracy that is suppressed, the music indus- try and potential economic growth are also held back. On the cd (track 3–5) we can listen to three singers, each of whom is a tragic example of enforced silence. Today, Maryam Mursal from Somalia lives in exile. She shares her fate with hundreds of celebrated African artists that have been silenced in their home countries. Another case reported in the chapter deals with the exiled Berber singer Lounès Matoub from Algeria who was brutally murdered while visiting his homeland Algeria in August 1999. Further, the promising career of the South African protest singer Roger Lucey was ended by a security police branch policeman. Lucey’s songs about the injustices of the apartheid system were too challenging.
The Western music industry also plays a dual role in the new genre that is known as World Music. This music wants to give prominence to music from countries that do not have a music industry of their own. Many listeners and musicians are internationally curious and have feel- ings of solidarity. At the same time, the most important music from an African perspective is not always desirable in the West. It seldom passes through the West’s aesthetic and commercial filters. Originally, the Chris- tian and Muslim missions determined what was good music or evil music. Today the global market works in the same way, with a tough, realistic grading of African music as either attractive and marketable or uninter- esting and of no value. Thus, economic censorship has an effect on the export of African music.
Music in Trade and Industry
Commercial connections between Africa and other continents have been possible for hundreds of years. From late 19th century, trade in cultural commodities was intensified. Traditional music from Africa was dispersed abroad via tours and the media. During the same century, the latest Eu- ropean fashion hit the African continent. Odeon – a German company – started recordings en masse in Congo around 1910, while the new tech- nology was rare in many countries in the North. Quite soon, distribution via wireless media became a frequent phenomenon even in rural African
12 INTRODUCTION
areas, and the music industry abroad was eager to use African music as a well for domestic and world markets.
This development continued in post-colonial Africa, but then new powers entered the stage. An increasing degree of commercialisation led to warped business relations in music production. Africa became a mar- ket place for music produced on other continents. The establishment of African companies and recording studios did not meet domestic expecta- tions. The neo-colonial dominance of big multinational companies in- hibited local activities. Political power struggles and issues of author’s rights were, and are, other insistent elements in the growing media econ- omy. Accordingly, in addition to the economic censorship mentioned above, the major companies in the West have a commercial interest in controlling the African music market.
The history of the emergent music industry is summarised by Wolf- gang Bender (Chapter 5). In a recording from the 1950s (cd track 6), we can hear the legendary artist, Wendo, sing the song about Marie-Louise. This song represents a broad repertoire of African media music, which was issued by, among others, the Congolese record company, Ngoma, be- tween 1948 and 1960. The company produced thousands of titles every year. The enormous popularity and high sales figures achieved by vari- ous African artists rarely came to the attention of listeners on other con- tinents.
Through an interview with Richard Traoré (Chapter 6), we are given an insight into a musical production workshop. Seydoni Productions, which has the ambition of producing and distributing local music, works under very difficult circumstances in Mali and Burkina Faso.…