African Popular Music

Catalog description

This course is a comprehensive overview of African popular music, highlighting its evolution and significance across the continent. We will explore the social and political contexts as well as the cultural influences that have shaped the diverse genres within African popular music. Students will engage with a wide range of styles from seminal genres like afrobeat, highlife, soukous, jùjú, Tuareg blues, and kwaito to contemporary styles such as afrobeats and amapiano. Key topics include the origins and development of the category, sonic characteristics of various genres, global interactions, and recent trends. In addition, we will examine the core concepts and theories essential to understanding and analyzing African popular music. Through lectures, listening sessions, and critical analysis, students will gain deep insights into the vibrant and dynamic world of African popular music and develop a nuanced appreciation of its diverse genres.