On the Shelf from CCBC Libraries
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African Rhythm and African Sensibility by "We have in this book a Rosetta stone for mediating, or translating, African musical behavior and aesthetics."--Andrew Tracey, African Music "John Miller Chernoff, who spent 10 years studying African drumming, has a flair for descriptive writing, and his first-person narratives should be easily understood by any reader, while ringing unmistakably true for the reader who has also been to West Africa."--Roderick Knight, Washington Post Book World "Ethnomusicologists must be proud that their discipline has produced a book that will, beyond doubt, rank as a classic of African studies."--Peter Fryer, Research in Literatures "A marvelous book. . . . Not many scholars will ever be able to achieve the kind of synthesis of 'doing' and 'writing about' their subject matter that Chernoff has achieved, but he has given us an excellent illustration of what is possible."--Chet Creider, Culture "Chernoff develops a brilliant and penetrating musicological essay that is, at the same time, an intensely personal and even touching account of musical and cultural discovery that anyone with an interest in Africa can and should read. . . . No other writing comes close to approaching Chernoff's ability to convey a feeling of how African music 'works'"--James Koetting, Africana Journal "Four stars. One of the few books I know of that talks of the political, social, and spiritual meanings of music. I was moved. It was so nice I read it twice."--David Byrne of "Talking Heads" The companion cassette tape has 44 examples of the music discussed in the book. It consists of field recordings illustrating cross-rhythms, multiple meters, call and response forms, etc.Call Number: ML3760 .C48 1981 -
Hip Hop Africa by Hip Hop Africa explores a new generation of Africans who are not only consumers of global musical currents, but also active and creative participants. Eric Charry and an international group of contributors look carefully at youth culture and the explosion of hip hop in Africa, the embrace of other contemporary genres, including reggae, ragga, and gospel music, and the continued vitality of drumming. Covering Senegal, Mali, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, and South Africa, this volume offers unique perspectives on the presence and development of hip hop and other music in Africa and their place in global music culture.Call Number: ML3531 .H565 2012 -
Muntu by Over a quarter of a century has passed since Muntu was first published in English, but this landmark examination still provides one of the most in-depth looks at African and neo-African culture. In his insightful study, Janheinz Jahn surveys the whole range of traditional and modern African thought expressed in religion, language, philosophy, literature, art, music and dance. He demonstrates that African culture, far from being doomed to destruction or homogenization under the onslaught of the West, is evolving into a rich and independent civilization that is capable of incorporating those elements of the West that do not threaten its basic values. Muntu (the Bantu word for “human”) presents an invaluable insight into the foundations of the unique and vital tapestry of cultures that compromise Africa today.Call Number: DT352.4 .J3613 1990 -
Music and Dance Traditions of Ghana by The music and dance traditions of Ghana's four main ethnic groups are covered comprehensively in this book. It discusses concepts of music, dance and performance in general, and also goes into cultural perspectives, performance practices and the form and structure of 22 musical types or dance drumming ceremonies. As a guide to multicultural education, it provides teaching methods and components of curriculum development. Numerous photographs, maps, and musical scores generously illustrate the book.Call Number: ML3760 .Y68 2011 -
Nigeria by As the "Giant of Africa" Nigeria is home to about twenty percent of the population of Sub-Saharan Africa, serves as Africa's largest producer of oil and natural gas, comprises Africa's largest economy, and represents the cultural center of African literature, film, and music. Yet the countryis plagued by problems that keep it from realizing its potential as a world power. Boko Haram, a radical Islamist insurrection centered in the northeast of the country, is an ongoing security challenge, as is the continuous unrest in the Niger Delta, the heartland of Nigeria's petroleum wealth.There is also persistent violence associated with land and water use, ethnicity, and religion.In Nigeria: What Everyone Needs to KnowRG, John Campbell and Matthew Page provide a rich contemporary overview of this crucial African country. Delving into Nigeria's recent history, politics, and culture, this volume tackles essential questions related to widening inequality, the historic 2015presidential election, the persistent security threat of Boko Haram, rampant government corruption, human rights concerns, and the continual conflicts that arise in a country that is roughly half Christian and half Muslim.With its continent-wide influence in a host of areas, Nigeria's success as a democracy is in the fundamental interest of its African neighbors, the United States, and the international community. This book will provide interested readers with an accessible, one-of-a-kind overview of thecountry.Call Number: DT515.22 .C35 2018 -
Sweet Mother by Bender offers the first cultural history of modern African music. He describes the whole range of African musical genres—from the Senegambian/Manding style through Congolese soukous, Cameroonian makossa, West African Highlife, and the music of struggle and liberation of South Africa—and locates each in its social, political, and historical context. Sweet Mother contains information available in no other single source, including an extensive discography and bibliography.Publication Date: 1991-07-17
Streaming Videos
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Inroducing the Music of AfricaAfrican music permeates the many diverse cultures across the continent. The legacy that African musical traditions have passed to contemporary musicians is rich and varied. From the iconic djembe drum to the distinctive a cappella choir vocals, Africa's music embraces many instruments and rhythms. This program presents a selection of music from the countries of Africa that have impacted movements such as blues, jazz, rock, and rap.
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Morocco's Gnaoua Music FestivalEvery year, thousands of people from across the world journey to the Moroccan city of Essaouira to experience Gnaoua culture. But can this music, steeped in ancient rituals and religious mysticism, adapt to a changing, modern world?
Databases
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Academic Search PremierArticles on any subject. This is a good place to start.
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Academic Video OnlineVideos on many subjects from PBS, HBO, BBC, History Channel, and others.
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Arts & Humanities DatabaseArticles on arts like visual arts, architecture, design, music, literature, and theatre,
and humanities like history, philosophy, and cultural studies. -
Global Road WarriorOverviews of countries and their cultures.
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Humanities International CompleteArticles and ebooks about humanities topics like arts, history, language, law, literature, philosophy, and politics.
Online from CCBC Libraries
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Intonations by Intonations tells the story of how Angola's urban residents in the late colonial period (roughly 1945-74) used music to talk back to their colonial oppressors and, more importantly, to define what it meant to be Angolan and what they hoped to gain from independence. A compilation of Angolan music is included in CD format. Marissa J. Moorman presents a social and cultural history of the relationship between Angolan culture and politics. She argues that it was in and through popular urban music, produced mainly in the musseques (urban shantytowns) of the capital city, Luanda, that Angolans forged the nation and developed expectations about nationalism. Through careful archival work and extensive interviews with musicians and those who attended performances in bars, community centers, and cinemas, Moorman explores the ways in which the urban poor imagined the nation. The spread of radio technology and the establishment of a recording industry in the early 1970s reterritorialized an urban-produced sound and cultural ethos by transporting music throughout the country. When the formerly exiled independent movements returned to Angola in 1975, they found a population receptive to their nationalist message but with different expectations about the promises of independence. In producing and consuming music, Angolans formed a new image of independence and nationalist politics.Publication Date: 2008-10-15 -
Let Spirit Speak! Interdisciplinary celebration of the cultural contributions of members of the African Diaspora in the Western hemisphere.Publication Date: 2012-01-01 -
Music in Kenyan Christianity by This sensitive study is a historical, cultural, and musical exploration of Christian religious music among the Logooli of Western Kenya. It describes how new musical styles developed through contact with popular radio and other media from abroad and became markers of the Logooli identity and culture. Jean Ngoya Kidula narrates this history of a community through music and religious expression in local, national, and global settings. The book is generously enhanced by audiovisual material on the Ethnomusicology Multimedia website.Publication Date: 2013-09-11 -
Women's Songs from West Africa by Exploring the origins, organization, subject matter, and performance contexts of singers and singing, Women's Songs from West Africa expands our understanding of the world of women in West Africa and their complex and subtle roles as verbal artists. Covering Cote d'Ivoire, the Gambia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and beyond, the essays attest to the importance of women s contributions to the most widespread form of verbal art in Africa."Publication Date: 2013-01-01
