Mus 345.01  World Beat in Africa             Dr. Ron Emoff

 

            Prior to the late 1980s, there had been no widely recognized category of music called “World Beat.”   Record stores used to have no “international,” “Latin,” “African,” etc., sections (as they and music websites now commonly  do).   World Beat has become a very popular, lucrative, and worldwide musical phenomenon.  In this course we will examine analytically the evolution of a recording industry in selected African nations. What were the political, historical, social, economic, religious implications involved with the commercialization of African musics?  What might (or might not) differentiate between the “traditional” and the “popular” in Africa?  How might older (traditional?) musics have been affected or altered by the creation of amplified commercial musical modes of performance? We will evaluate  historically  the trafficking across the Atlantic (in other words, both from  Africa and to  Africa) of musical  styles and of musicians themselves.  Current pop musicians such as David Byrne, Paul Simon, and Peter Gabriel have been integrally involved in creating African World Beat--we will look at (and listen to) ways that African musics have entered into our own musical imaginations of Africa.  We will discuss issues of copyright, ethical “right,” appropriation, collaboration, hybridity, cultural property, authorship, ownership...

            This course involves a significant amount of reading and listening (outside of the classroom), in addition to much writing and in-class discussion.  We will be concerned with developing a critical and analytical comprehension, among other things, of some of the “underbelly” of a developing market in international exchange of African musics and musicians.  You will need to express regularly in class your own opinions and criticisms.  This course will require active participation and engagement with the assignments and in each individual class.

            The class is designed to accomodate students with no prior musical experience, as well as to be captivating  to students who do have prior musical experience and knowledge. 

           

The required texts for class are:

Waterman, Christopher

1990    Jùjú: A Social History and Ethnography of an African Popular Music.        Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

 

Erlmann, Veit

1991    African Stars: Studies in Black South African Performance.  Chicago:        University of Chicago Press.

 

Collins, John

1992    West African Pop Roots. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.

 

Tayor, Timothy D.

1997    Global Pop: World Music, World Markets.  New York and London: Routedge Press.

 

Additional articles will be assigned and will be placed on reserve in the library.  It will be each student’s responsibility to make sure that s/he reads these reserve articles, and listens as well to listening examples on CD in the Audio-Visual lab (downstairs Founders Hall).