African Music: Sound, History, Culture, Politics

Catalog description

This class is about the sound, culture, politics and history of African music as heard in the world today. We will sample diverse styles and practices from around the continent, including live and recorded musics, 'popular' and 'traditional' styles, and sacred and secular practices. The class aims to teach you about the music 'itself', the African history of the international music industry, and about the social value of music, exploring how the patterns of circulation of African music could augment or diminish African problems, Africa's promise, and Africans' creative gifts to the world.