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Music of the northern region of Africa (red on the map), including that of the Horn of Africa (dark green on the map), is mostly treated separately under Middle Eastern and North African music traditions.Merriam divided Africa into seven regions for ethnomusicological purposes, observing current political frontiers (see map), and this article follows this division as far as possible in surveying the music of ethnic groups in Africa. Geo-political map of Africa divided for ethnomusicological purposes, after Merriam, 1959Īlan P. and individual work like pounding of cereals, winnowing. Work songs are performed both during communal work like building, weeding, etc. The music of the Luo, for another example, is functional, used for ceremonial, religious, political or incidental purposes, during funerals (Tero buru) to praise the departed, to console the bereaved, to keep people awake at night, to express pain and agony and during cleansing and chasing away of spirits, during beer parties (Dudu, ohangla dance), welcoming back the warriors from a war, during a wrestling match (Ramogi), during courtship, in rain making and during divination and healing. Improvisation or a new variation comes only after mastering the dance, performing, and receiving the appreciation of spectators and the sanction of village elders. Children must learn the dance exactly as taught without variation. Master dancers and drummers are particular about the learning of the dance exactly as taught. The drummer's primary duty is to preserve the community. The spontaneity of these performances should not be confused with an improvisation that emphasizes the individual ego. The drumming represents an underlying linguistic text that guides the dancing performance, allowing linguistic meaning to be expressed non-verbally. Yoruba dancers and drummers, for instance, express communal desires, values, and collective creativity.
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To share rhythm is to form a group consciousness, to entrain with one another, to be part of the collective rhythm of life to which all are invited to contribute. Community structures such as kinship, age, and status are also often reinforced. Dances are often segregated by gender, reinforcing gender roles in children. Many dances are performed by only males or females. They inculcate social patterns and values. Dances help people work, mature, praise or criticize members of the community, celebrate festivals and funerals, compete, recite history, proverbs and poetry and encounter gods. Even ritual dances often have a time when spectators participate. Īfrican dances are largely participatory: there are traditionally no barriers between dancers and onlookers except with regard to spiritual, religious and initiation dances. The beats and sounds of the drum are used in communication as well as in cultural expression. Traditional African music supplies appropriate music and dance for work and for religious ceremonies of birth, naming, rites of passage, marriage and funerals. In many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, the use of music is not limited to entertainment: it serves a purpose to the local community and helps in the conduct of daily routines.
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Drumming and dancing at Dakawa, Morogoro, Tanzania