African soundscapes: Music and society in Africa

Core Course

This course builds up on the introductory courses of our programme to pursue the exploration of Africa by focusing on the music cultures of the continent. Lectures will discuss the cultural and historical contexts in which various musical and performance genres have emerged. The griot traditions, mbalax and high-life of Western Africa; the azmari tradition in Ethiopia; Rai in North Africa; Rhumba in Central Africa as well as Mbaqana in Southern Africa will be discussed in the exploration of what we call in this course African soundscapes. The course will enable students to critically view and challenge existing perceptions of African music, Africans and Africa. No previous musical experience is necessary.