African music

African music
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Name	African music
Cultural origins	Nok culture; Ancient Egypt; Kingdom of Kush; Ghana Empire; Songhai Empire
Instruments	balafon; kora; djembe; talking drum; mbira
Subgenres	Highlife; Afrobeat; JuJu music; Mbaqanga; Gnawa music
Regional origins	West Africa; East Africa; North Africa; Central Africa; Southern Africa

African music

African music comprises the musical practices, instruments, and performance contexts originating on the African continent, linking ancient traditions from Nok culture, Ancient Egypt, and the Kingdom of Kush to modern genres found in Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, and Morocco. Its development intersects with historical polities such as the Ghana Empire, the Songhai Empire, and the Mali Empire, and with diasporic flows to the Caribbean, Brazil, and United States. Patterns of rhythm, call-and-response, and oral transmission characterize many traditions, while regional trade routes like the Trans-Saharan trade and institutions such as the Islamic Golden Age shaped stylistic exchange.

History and Origins

Origins trace to prehistoric societies evidenced by archaeological finds linked to Nok culture and ritual artifacts from Ancient Egypt and the Kingdom of Kush. Court patronage in states like the Mali Empire and the Ghana Empire supported professional musicians attached to royal households and griot lineages associated with families such as those of the Keïta dynasty. Islamic courts in cities like Timbuktu and Cairo mediated musical exchange through scholars tied to the Madrasa tradition and the itinerant networks of Sufi orders including the Tijaniyya. Contact with Europeans during the eras of the Portuguese Empire and the Atlantic slave trade propelled diasporic transmission, influencing music in Haiti, Cuba, and Brazil while absorbing instruments introduced via Colonialism.

Musical Traditions and Genres

Traditional repertoires include epic praise-singing from griots linked to families in Mali and Senegal, laments and funeral music associated with communities in Ghana and Nigeria, and spiritual practices such as the trance ceremonies of the Gnawa in Morocco and the healing rituals of the Sangoma in South Africa. Urban popular genres emerged in colonial and postcolonial cities: Highlife in Accra, Afrobeat in Lagos led by artists connected to movements around Fela Kuti and Tony Allen, JuJu music in Lagos with performers from the Omo Ogun networks, Mbaqanga in Johannesburg tied to migrant labor systems, and Rumba as adapted in Kinshasa from Afro-Cuban recordings propagated by labels like those associated with Ngoma.

Instruments and Musical Ensembles

Core instruments include the kora of Mandinka tradition, the balafon in Sahelian ensembles, the djembe drum related to Mande ritual contexts, the talking drum used for tonal communication across Yorubaland, and the mbira central to Shona ceremonies in Zimbabwe. Ensembles often mix vocalists from griot or praise-singer lineages with instrumentalists supported by patrons such as royal courts in the Oyo Empire or urban record producers associated with labels in Kinshasa and Nairobi. Instrument-making traditions involve luthiers and artisans in cities like Bamako and Kumasi, and orchestral experiments have been staged by institutions including national ensembles modeled on the National Theatre of Nigeria.

Regional Styles and Influences

West African musical languages draw on tonal systems and polyrhythms prominent among Mande peoples, Yoruba, and Hausa communities; coastal regions such as Sierra Leone and Liberia show syncretism with Atlantic creole forms influenced by returnee populations related to the Black Loyalists and Amistad histories. North African styles, including Andalusian classical music in Algiers and Rai in Oran, incorporate Arabic modes linked to the Ottoman Empire and Al-Andalus. East African coastal idioms like Taarab and Bongo Flava reflect exchanges through the Swahili Coast, Arab merchant routes, and ports such as Mombasa and Zanzibar. Central African urban scenes in Kinshasa and Brazzaville developed soukous from Congolese rumba, while Southern African forms—from Zulu choral practice to Cape Town jazz—emerged amid labor migrations tied to mines in Johannesburg.

Social and Cultural Roles

Music functions in rites of passage, political commentary, and social regulation: praise-singers and griots perform genealogy for patrons like the Keïta dynasty and local chiefs in Mali and Senegal; musical criticism and activism have been channeled through figures associated with movements surrounding Fela Kuti and anti-apartheid campaigns linked to organizations such as the African National Congress. Ceremonial specialists including Sangoma and Babalawo integrate music into healing and divination, while marketplaces and festivals—exampled by gatherings in Dakar, Accra, and the Festival in Essaouira—sustain transmission. Music also encodes oral histories related to events like the Battle of Adwa and dynamics of migration from regions affected by the Scramble for Africa.

Contemporary African Music and Globalization

Contemporary scenes encompass global trajectories: artists from Lagos, Accra, Johannesburg, Kigali, and Casablanca collaborate with producers in London, Paris, and New York, and participate in festivals such as WOMAD and the Montreux Jazz Festival. Genres like Afrobeats and Amapiano interact with streaming platforms and labels connected to the British Phonographic Industry and international awards such as the Grammy Awards, while diasporic networks in Detroit, Rio de Janeiro, and London sustain remix cultures. Cultural policy initiatives by ministries in Nigeria and South Africa and institutions like the UNESCO music programmes affect heritage designation for traditions such as those of the Gnawa and the Kora repertoire. Transnational collaborations have raised debates over copyright, sampling, and equitable remuneration involving entities like major multinational labels headquartered in Los Angeles and Tokyo.

Category:African culture