Music of West Africa
The music of West Africa has a significant history, and its varied sounds reflect the wide range of influences from the area's regions and historical periods.
[2] The forced migration of Africans to the Americas as a result of the transatlantic slave trade gave rise to kaiso[3] music, which has influenced the sounds of Calypso,[4] a style with major popularity throughout West Africa.
Highlife is an upbeat, multi-instrumental and jovial style of music which is sung in many regional languages including Igbo, Yoruba and Ewe.
Ghanaian music scholar V. Kofi Agawu (2006) writes: "Highlife is invested with a bundle of attributes that include personal and communal pride, stateliness, self-satisfaction, and a strategic complacency".
[7] The sounds of these instruments combined with the more traditional drum-focused music of West Africa to create the fusion that is highlife.
Developed from West African kaiso, the sounds of calypso are similar to those of highlife, however the two differ slightly in lyrics and instrumentation.
Lyrics in highlife are generally repeated more than those in calypso songs, despite the two genres' subject matter remaining similar - both are commonly about romantic relationships and desire.
[2] Many genres and styles of music popular throughout the Caribbean and French Antilles have their roots in West Africa due to transatlantic slave trading under various European colonial empires.
This involved mass transportation of West African people such as the Ewe and the Yoruba, who took with them the distinct sounds of their musical culture.
This growth was mainly due to the considerable fame of Fela Kuti, the ‘Father of Afrobeat’,[13] and other pivotal artists such as Tony Allen and Ebo Taylor.
[14] Afrobeat music is characterised by multi-instrumental bands playing a jazz and funk-inspired groove with a focus on guitar riffs and horn sections.
Davido, Wizkid, Burna Boy Tekno are highly popular West African Afrobeats artists.
Countries of West Africa include Nigeria, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana and Togo.
They also fancied their strengths in making stringed instruments such as the famous Ngoni, balafon and the legendary Kora which will be further discussed later on.
Griots were and still are very respectable people in the society as the compose, sing and praise songs that celebrate accomplishments of individuals, families and communities as a whole.
The role of women in West African music has transformed from historically limited involvement to encompassing increased participation, success, and empowerment, with women now contributing to cultural preservation, innovative sub-genres, and societal empowerment through performance, instrument playing, and influential figures like Sona Jobarteh and Tata Dindin Jobarteh, thus reflecting broader societal changes and demonstrating the evolving landscape of musical expression in the region.
Traditional music also accompanied the religious practices which was condemned by the missionaries and was made to change due to introduction of Islam and Christianity.
The Writer Who is Schweitzer examines the rhythms, spiritual significance, and cultural heritage that are in Batá drumming, showing us on its historical roots and contemporary practices.
The book also explores how Batá drumming is passed down through generations and its role in strengthening social ties within Afro-Cuban communities.
[23] The djembe plays an important role in traditional music as it is seen as a way to communicate emotional experiences in communal situations.
[24][22] Some West African drummers famed for their djembe proficiency are Famadou Konaté, Mamady Keïta, Babatunde Olatunji and Abdoulaye Diakité.
A member of the idiophone family of instruments, the balafon is used by many Griots and is commonly found in Brikama, a location of great cultural and musical depth.
Stringed instruments have been an important part of West African music since at least the 14th century, when it was recorded that they were played in a royal ceremony in Mali.
[31] With a body made from calabash and a neck that extends approximately one metre, the kora is stood upright and plucked by a seated player, commonly accompanying lyrics about a person or family.
[32] Papa Susso, Toumani Diabaté and Jaliba Kuyateh are renowned kora players famed for their instrumental proficiency.
The xalam originated with the Wolof people and is often played in pairs,[29] in which one player repeats a musical motif while another tells a narrative.
The playing position and method are similar to the ways in which a player would use a guitar, however the left hand, which supports the instrument's neck, is only used to pluck the two melody strings.
Traditional songs played on the xalam are most often accompanied by lyrics about historical events, commonly the victories of warriors and leaders.
In many regions in West Africa, traditional dance is considered to be a part of language, a way to translate and communicate experiences.
[38] For example, the Mbalax dance holds its origins as a part of ndut rite of passage ceremonies and is thus traditionally valued as a sacred process.
