Music of AfricaNorthern, Eastern, Western, and Southern

Music of AfricaAfrica, being so large, has many

different regions with distinct musical traditions

Africa can be split into the following regions…

RegionsNorthern: Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria,

Morocco Western: Western Sahara, Senegal,

Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso

Central:  Chad, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia

Eastern:Uganda,Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe as well as the islands of Madagascar

Southern:  SouthAfrica, Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia and Angola

REGIONAL MAP

Music of North AfricaRed region on mapThe music of North Africa has a

large number of different types, from the music of ancient Egypt to the Berber and the Tuareg music of the desert nomads.

The region's art music has for centuries followed the outline of Arabic classical music

A little history…North Africa is the seat of

the Mediterranean culture, including ancient Egypt and Carthage.

The ancient civilizations had strong ties to the ancient Near East and which have heavily influenced the ancient Greek and Roman cultures.

Eventually, Egypt fell under Persian rule followed by Greek and Roman rule, while Carthage was later ruled by Romans and Vandals.

North Africa was later conquered by the Arabs, who established the region as the Maghreb (“West”) of the Arab world

Instruments?Many of the instruments from the

Middle East are prevalent here: ◦The oud◦The ney◦The percussive instruments

Tabla Hammered Dulcimer

Music of EgyptThe ancient Egyptians credited one of their

gods Hathor with the invention of music, which Osiris in turn used as part of his effort to civilize the world.

Music dates back to the Predynastic period (3100BC)

Percussion instruments, lyres and lutes were added to orchestras by the Middle Kingdom. 

Cymbals frequently accompanied music and dance, much as they still do in Egypt today.

Egyptian folk music, including the traditional Sufi dhikr rituals, are the closest contemporary music genre to ancient Egyptian music, having kept many of its features, rhythms and instruments.

Music of EgyptSince the Nasser era (1918-1970), Egyptian 

pop music has become increasingly important in Egyptian culture, particularly among the large youth population of Egypt.

Egyptian folk music continues to be played during weddings and other traditional festivities.

In the last quarter of the 20th century, Egyptian music was a way to communicate social and class issues

Religious music remains an essential part of traditional Muslim celebrations called mulids. Mulids are held in Egypt to celebrate the saint of a particular church. The Egyptian flute, called the ney, is commonly played at mulids. 

Music of MoroccoThe music of Morocco ranges based on the

country’s regionsBerber folk music

◦ There are three varieties: village, ritual, and the music performed by professional musicians.

Chaabi "popular" folk music◦ Came from many popular forms; was originally

performed in markets, but is now found at any celebration or meeting.

Gnawa, mysticalClassical Malhun

◦ Meant to be peaceful; has been played around in the streets of Morocco for over a thousand years

Classical Sufi music◦ This music is an attempt at reaching a trance state

Rai, rock music

Music of West AfricaWest Africa stretches from

the Sahara Desert to the Atlantic Ocean.

The region's musical heritage includes a variety of popular music style

Griots, wandering musicians and praise singers, are found throughout the region

Instruments?Some musical instruments are found

in a majority of West African countries.Examples include:

◦Kora (21 string bridge harp made from a gourd covered in cow skin)

◦Xalam (5 stringed lute; many believe it was the ancestor of the banjo)

◦Djembe (goblet drum played with the hands)

◦Talking drum (hourglass drum tuned to mimic speech)

A Note on Percussion…The main types of drums in Western Africa

are the Djembe and the Talking Drum . These drums are used as the most

important parts of musical performances and ceremonies.

They appear easy to play, however the drummers, particularly the master drummer, play complicated polyrhythms and have usually trained from childhood .

These drums play a very important part of life for the people and are used all the time in everyday life, especially in festivals and ceremonies such as marriage or birth

A little history…Some performers are tribes people who have lived

a nomadic existence, which is true of Mariem Hassan, a vocalist from the country of Western Sahara.

Before the 1960s, a large amount of Africa was under Imperial rule

One example was Western Sahara, which was a Spanish colony, and its inhabitants spoke some Spanish, Arabic, and other dialects common to the region.

In the 1960s, many revolutionaries died for their freedom. After this, many were uncertain of what might happen and became nomadic

Those who moved to refugee camps found that most often, it was women gaining stature as the storytellers of their past, their existence, and their hopes through their songs and performances

Music of SenegalSenegal's musical heritage is

better known than that of most African countries, due to the popularity of mbalax, which is a form of Serer percussive music

It has been popularized by Youssou N'Dour. 

Sabar drumming is especially popular.

Music of SenegalDuring the colonial era, Senegal was colonized

by France, and the people grew to adopt a French identity.

Many, though not all, Senegalese identified as French instead of any African ethnicity. 

After their independence, Senegalese people began to re-find their own identies

Senegalese popular music can be traced back to the 1960s, when nightclubs hosted dance bands (orchestres) that played Western music

In the 70s, rhythmic music and rapping blended with American funk and jazz and reggae

In 1990s, the most popular music expansion was hip hop. Traditional culture includes rapping traditions. Modern Senegalese hip hop is mostly in Wolof, alongside some English and French… (Akon is born Senegalese)

Music of NigeriaThe music of Nigeria includes many

kinds of Folk and popular music, some of which are known worldwide.

Styles of folk music are related to the multitudes of ethnic groups in the country, each with their own techniques, instruments, and songs.

Little is known about the country's music history prior to European contact, although bronze carvings dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries have been found depicting musicians and their instruments.

Music of NigeriaNigeria has been called "the heart

of African music" because of its role in the development of West African highlife and palm-wine music, which fuses native rhythms with techniques imported from the Congo 

This lead to the development of several popular styles that were unique to Nigeria, like apala, fuji, jùjú, highlife, and Yo-pop.

Later, Nigerian musicians created their own styles of United States hip hop music and Jamaican reggae

Nigerian Idol, winner

Music of Central AfricaCentral African music boasts a

large variety of instrumentsThere is also a large number of

different styles and genresIn this region, music is

polyphonicThere are large sub-groups of

Pygmies, which boast a vocal style similar to yodelling

Pygmy MusicThe Pygmies are a broad group of people

who live in Central Africa, especially in the Congo, the Central African Republic and Cameroon.

Music is an important part of Pygmy life, and casual performances take place during many of the day's events.

Music comes in many forms, including the spiritual likanos stories, vocable singing and music played from a variety of instruments.

Some of the Pygmies are particularly known for their communal improvisation and polyphony (two or more independent voices).

Music of the Central African RepublicThe music of the Central African

Republic includes many different forms.

Western rock and pop music, as well as Afrobeat (American Fail), soukous and other genres have become popular nation-wide.

The sanza is a popular instrument.

The national anthem of the Central African Republic is "La Renaissance"

Music of the Democratic Republic of the CongoThe music is difficult to define because of the

changes in the country- formerly called Zaire, also called Congo-Kinshasa to distinguish it from the Republic of the Congo

Most of the music is soukousThe term rumba or rock-rumba is also used

generically to refer to Congolese music, though both words have their own difficulties and neither is very precise nor accurately descriptive.

People from the Congo have no term for their own music per se, although they have used muziki na biso (our music)until the late 1970s and now the most common name is "ndule" which simply means music in the lingala dialect.

Music of South Africa There’s a strong tradition of

singing to celebrate special events or just to pass the time during daily chores

The African call-and-response choral style is used in much of the music.

Instruments?Mouth harps, clapping and rattles

are also popular.One of the most interesting

traditional instruments is the single-string gourd bow called uhadi or ugubhu

Music of BotswanaMusic is an omnipresent part of the Botswana

culture, and includes popular and folk forms. Batswana church choirs are common across

the country. Music education is an integral part of the

Botswana educational system. Children of all ages are taught traditional

songs and dances.There has been a major push in recent years

to focus on revitalizing the Botswana music industry instead of purchasing foreign releases.

Most popular music in Botswana still comes from South Africa, the United States, Europe or elsewhere in Africa. 

Music of BotswanaGumba-gumba is a form of

modernized Zulu and Tswana music, mixed with traditional jazz; the word gumba comes from township slang for party.

Hip hop music is very popularTswana music is mostly vocal and

performed without drums; it also makes heavy use of string instruments.

Music of BotswanaKwasa Kwasa is n African version

of Rhumba popularized in Central Africa has a strong following in Botswana

The development of rock as a popular genre in Botswana has been rather slow and gradual. The music has started to gain some momentum recently.

Music of AngolaThe music of Angola has been

shaped both by wider musical trends and by the political history of the country. It has been described a mix of music from the Congo, Portugal, and Brazil

In the 20th century,  Angola was wracked by violence and political instability. Its musicians were oppressed by government forces, both during the period of Portuguese colonization and after independence

Music of AngolaSemba is the predecessor to a variety of

music styles originating in Africa. The subject matter of Semba is often a cautionary tale or story regarding day-to-day life and social events and activities, usually sung in a witty rhetoric. 

A new, more electronic music movement, called kuduro, has blossomed in Angola. It combines traditional Angolan Kilapanga, Semba and Soca with Western house and techno

Music of South AfricaThe South African music scene includes

both popular (jive) and folk formsChristian missions provided the first

organized musical training in the country, bringing to light many of the modern country's earliest musicians

By the end of the nineteenth century, South African cities like Cape Town were large enough to attract foreign musicians, especially American ragtime players. 

African American spirituals were popularized in the 1890s

Music of South AfricaThe first major style of South African

popular music to emerge was pennywhistle jive (later known as kwela)

In the 60s, doo wop, soul, and jazz were popular

Ladysmith Black Mambazo, a native music group, became very popular in the 70s and remains popular to this day

Punk rock and disco were popular in the 70s

Music of South AfricaIn the 80s, South African alternative rock

grew more mainstream, as did gothic rockBubblegum was a form of pure South

African pop music that arose in the middle of the 80s, based on vocals with overlapping call-and-response vocals.

In 1994, South African media was liberalized and new musical styles arose.

A South Africanized style of hip hop known as kwaito soon replaced actual hip hop groups

Music of South AfricaGospel music became very popular in the

nineties, and began becoming popular internationally

Neo-traditional music has remained popular through today

The introduction of the South African Music Awards (SAMA), intended to recognize accomplishment in the South African recording industry has raised the awareness of local artists and bands. The awards are given in various categories, including album of the year, best newcomer, best artists (male and female) and the best duo or group. South African Music Award winners include Seether.