The Functions of Music in African Culture

Despite what is perceived as an intrusion from the west, Africa has and continues to be influenced by its culture. Due to its impressive character, it is obvious that African culture extends deep into other nations. Music, oral literature, art, and even social patterns that serve as a primary activity for the African people all influence culture. But even though there weren’t many individuals who Western culture perceived as a danger to African culture during and after the colonial era, African nationalism revived the culture once again through fostering of art, dances, music and even museums (Jaji 2014, p.9). With the different groups of people that make up the African tribe, many different cultures have come to a rise with various people practicing even though they are from other regions of the continent. Additionally, the culture of cooking and art has also been useful in expressing the African culture beyond the borders. However, in this study, the African culture will be evaluated more through narrowing on the music and its functions

Nature of African music

African philosophy is distinct from others on the setting of art, poetry and even literature, where writers have learned to express the culture of Africa uniquely. The aim is to create an image to the world that African people are black and proud of this fact since their culture is evident to have positively contributed to global civilization. Different writers have shown in their art work how African people love music through the different ways they embrace it in their daily activities. Moreover, philosophers argue that Africa is one continent which the people embrace music lightheartedly and emotionally sensitive in all the everyday life (Wilks and Quinn 2016, p.23). For instance, music is always used in different ceremonies and rites of passage to express the mood of the event and pass the message effectively. Regardless of the fact that Africa is a home to millions of people who belong to thousands o tribes and language, music continues to be a unifying factor. For music to be music in Africa, there should exist, drum, bells, gongs and even rattles with other melodic instruments like strings and Xylophones (Agawu 2014, p.14). Unlike other countries, the melodies in Africa always employ the use of short units, with simple messages that are always on the point. Performers improvise dances that are in line with the tune and sound to make the presentation interesting. However, with the “metronome sense,” a unique aspect of African rhythm, gives the musicians the ability to make a long performance without a little deviation from the initial tempo. Additionally, when in cases of group shows, a typical call and response style is employed, where a solo leader leads the singing while the group responses in a uniform manner, bringing a rhythm that is unique and appealing.

Just like any other country, participating or performing of music is voluntary, though in some cases it becomes an obligation where one works for a particular social group in the society. However, some musicians sing to make money as a survival measure. Regardless of this, African music employs the use of different singing and dancing styles. The styles are only understood by the people of that given tribe while others may not understand how to practice but are in a position to understand the traditions through looking at the performance. For instance, the Igbo music and performance which employ the use Igbo dialects that are lexical as well as phonological, which’s hard for another tribe to comprehend though enjoy the performance. African music is sung and practiced by all people regardless of sex age or class since it is a way that can change one’s mood at any given the time of day. Despite the fact that, the concept of music for Africans is different from the westerners, the music in Africa is pure in the sense that it does not have to make a combination of sounds but to efficiently express all aspects of life through natural sounds. Therefore it is evident that the manner in which the African music turns pleasing to the ear, it all originates from the sounds and instruments that are incorporated into the music.

Types of African music

Music plays a vital role in promoting culture giving us a connection of what had initially happened about the present. More so, the beauty of the music is where emotions can be created through the combination of instruments to bring rhythm that communicates feelings relative to the situation. In Africa, the main categories of music include traditional, classical and popular. The traditional music group is where all other folks or traditional lie since they are the kind which expresses the culture of the African people. Despite the change in transmission channels, traditional music is generated from one generation to another orally, with original tone of continuity is put into consideration to maintain culture. On the other hand, the popular category of music continues to take root as its primary appeal to the audience is through dance. The pop music is mostly known for its dance orientation as the category is most common in western and coeval parts of Africa. However, the popular music exists under three genres; traditional music derivatives like the Nigerian Sakara, Apala and so on (Frishkopf et al 2016, p.47). Another genre is the interactive which shows the relationship between the local and the western culture like the; juju, ajasco and even fuji. The last kind is the pop of the west and those resulting from the interaction of Africa from the new world like the Afro-rock, disco, souls and the Congo music. The classical music category, on the other hand, is that music that is composed based on situations or rules on the ground. For instance, the political music that advocates for democracy and equality in matters related to politics.

However, different forms of Africa music are created based on the various situations or ceremonies to be celebrated.

Signaling Music

The signaling type of African music, for instance, plays a role in alerting people on a particular happening. In this music, all the ages and sexes are involved depending on the type of situation that has taken place. A good example in making of the adult folk is where a big wooden drum bellows, a signal which indicates the death of a man. Moreover, the bellow is blown in a way that the name of the dead person could be spelled out for people to hear and gather.

War

In situations of war, a particular type of music is sung where the fighters are encouraged to win the battle. In this song, the words are mainly aimed at soliciting a natural being to give them strength to win the battle at hand. The songs boost the spirit as well as emotions of the warriors to be ready both mentally and physically, hence no retreating.

Birth

Songs are composed during times of birth, where children are celebrated as they are named after their ancestors. During these ceremonies, the songs sung are mostly joyous since they are meant to welcome a new soul into the world.

Circumcision

The composers of songs in this situation have a role in choosing those songs that give courage to the person to be circumcised. However, some songs may entail other scenarios of those boys who ran away due to fear of being circumcised thus act as an option for the current person to be circumcised to choose whether to bear the shame of fear or stand courageously.

Marriage

Marriage is a time of celebrating and thus, the songs in the event are in a happy mood. The songs tend to congratulate the parents of the bride and the bride groom for taking good care of them since being young. Additionally, the couples are advised to leave a happy life and offer support to each other at any given time.

Death

In this occasion, the songs are sad implying that the loss is significant and cannot be filled. However, the mourners are encouraged to take heart since life has to go on despite the pains that death brings.

Religious

Unlike other songs, religious ones are special in their unique way since they tend to give praise to a supernatural being. The songs, in this case, are inspirational in the sense that they encourage the worshippers to practice what is right and worthy in the eyes of the supernatural being worshipped. Moreover, religious songs also offer courage when a person is facing difficulties that are related to matters of life, thus giving him or her hope and faith that everything will be all right since God is in control. However, these songs discourage wrong doings as they make God angry and this leads to punishment, hence the need to do good at all times.

However, regardless of the many songs that are composed based on different situations, it is advisable that the songs meet the moral standards of the traditions before being released to the audience. The African music in this context is seen to hold the values and ethical standards in influencing the lives of the people. For instance, in composing political songs, the composer should ensure that the song is not biased in a way that it will encourage hatred among different supporters of political affiliations. Instead, he or she should bear in mind all the facts that lead to political fights and sing against them to encourage the people to make political decisions amicably avoiding the negatives. It is also vital that the songs in the composition should have no prejudice on the culture or beliefs of other people since this will negatively impact on the people. In this case, the songs should be well evaluated to ensure they don’t go beyond the aimed message but rather be precise on promoting peace and love among different cultures of people.

Function of African Music

As a way of expressing inner most feelings, music is a complex way in which human beings communicate to each other, where both the performer and the audience experience same sentiments. However, despite this fact, many people tend to forget the issue of music going beyond the cultures into personal experiences. However, with the vast nature of the African culture, their music is not universal in the western culture given the fact that the westerners are not much familiar with the African culture (Wilks and Quinn 2016, p.22). It is a fact that makes the African culture not be practiced in the westerners despite the fact that the European culture is seen to take root in Africa. With music accompanying all the aspects of life, people from all other regions participate in the celebrations to understand the values that are not present from their own culture. In this sense, it is evident that music does not fragment the lives of people through its composition but rather act as a way of creating a natural flow of feelings depending on the event to be celebrated.

African music is an ingredient that spices the lives of people since it offers a different emotion to each during the time of performance and presentation. While people may be enjoying the music due to the rhythm and dance, another person may be experiencing another feeling, for instance, if the song relates to what he or she is going through thus acting as a motivation. Moreover, the music can be found anywhere within and outside the African context. Different type of music is developed with ethnicity relationship as it shares characteristics that are influential on any given person. In this sense, traditional music continues to take root in the lives of people both ordinary and extraordinary, a source that cannot be undone despite the western culture invading the African land. For instance, storytelling has taken an angle in the sense that children are not only told stories during evening gatherings but every night when going to sleep. In these stories, songs are sung that tends to add the test to the story making it more enjoyable while also educating. Despite the fact that the story will make the child sleep, he or she will wake up with ideas carried down from the story. Though people think that the African culture has died, philosophers and writer have only moved it to another angle through a different process though the original intentions are still holding on. A good example is an Igbo music which entails folk tales that contain both narrative and songs (Wilks and Quinn 2016, p 19).

Music is a vital part of promoting cultures and education. Since a time of child birth in the African context, the ceremony is celebrated through the singing of songs and further goes on changing as the life of the child continues to develop. It implies that music takes root in an early life of a child despite the fact that the child may not be acutely aware of the meaning and importance of music. Additionally, when the child reaches an age he or she can speak well, music begins to be taught to him as a way of educating him on the matters that the parent feel are relevant to the child in life situations. It is the only method that a child can understand since music is taught as a way of entertaining at the beginning but also carry values that are educative. In this case, when a child does something wrong that relates to the events in the song, a parent may remind him or her on the repercussions that come from such an action is usually sung in the song. The lesson learned from the music will make the child afraid or do the same thing again in fear of what will happen. Needless to say, besides the child knowing the art of singing, he or she can begin to start practicing the making of the musical instruments, an act that is fundamental to the art of music. Therefore, a child may develop the interest in music till old age and thus help pass the same knowledge to the following generation.

The development of music through the use of general tonal languages, tend to create different meanings through use of a single word depending on the culture, thus making it easier for individuals to distinguish various musical pitches. With the fact that African languages take the form of musicality, melodies and tones are combined with rhythm from different accents from multiple languages. For instance, musical sensibilities are mostly actuated through the development spoken words that create a quasi-musical performance. A good example is the Yoruba music which entails the use of words that are tonal inflections. According to a particular Nigerian musicologist, Yoruba folk songs are exceptional music that uses the tonal inflections to the extent that they cannot get a single word sung in other melodies like the “ La Paloma.”

Music plays a great role in political, legal and also in historical capacities. As earlier said, music can positively or negatively impact a situation unless it fully follows the moral standards of given cultures. In cases of maintaining law and order, music is useful in motivating law enforcers through taking into consideration the rights and privileges of the people (Burnim and Maultsby 2014, p.12). It is through songs that people can make their voices be heard. In early times, songs were used in courts where a plaintiff was only allowed to present his or her case through singing, an action that will get him the kind of judgment depending on the quality of his performance. The judgment will only base on the music performance and not on the guilt or innocence. The decision was always made in public to ensure that the audience witnesses the case proceedings as well as learn lessons. The purpose of the open court, in this instance, is helpful mostly when the plaintiff is found guilty through poor performance; a situation that will make the public to ridicule him and therefore, he or she will never have to repeat the action.

In religion context, music plays a vital role in communicating with God besides the art of praying. Believers compose songs to their creator asking him to meet with their daily needs as well as praise him for having answered their prayers (Sheehy 2014, p.415). The songs act as motivation to the worshippers in the sense that they feel they are linked to the supernatural being and that they gain confidence in praying. Additionally, as a way of communication to the creator where words have failed, believers can still express their feelings. Regardless of this, music helps in boosting the mood of a person when facing tribulations through the encouraging words that are present in the song being sung.

Conclusion

Besides the many delicacies that are accompanied by the African culture, music is vital in many ways that surround the daily life of not only African people that all other persons. Music is a communicative channel which helps send a message that reaches a wider audience where the singer cannot reach. Additionally, the Africans get to keep the culture through channels of music where children get to learn about what the ancestors did that are vital in the today’s life. However, before making music, composers should make sure the music is relevant in the message in all matters that affect human life and not only Africans.

References

Agawu, K., 2014. Representing African music: Postcolonial notes, queries, positions. Routledge.

Burnim, M.V. and Maultsby, P.K. eds., 2014. African American music: an introduction. Routledge.

Frishkopf, M., Zakus, D., Hamze, H., Alhassan, M. and Zukpeni, I.A., 2016. Traditional Music as a Sustainable Social Technology for Community Health Promotion in Africa:“Singing and Dancing for Health” in Rura Northern Ghana. Legon Journal of the Humanities, 27(2), pp.47-72.

Jaji, T., 2014. Africa in Stereo: Modernism, Music, and Pan-African Solidarity. Oxford University Press.

Sheehy, D., 2014. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings: The Role of Music in Breaching the Barriers of the Box. Curator: The Museum Journal, 57(4), pp.415-421.

Wilks, L. and Quinn, B., 2016. Linking social capital, cultural capital and heterotopia at the folk festival. Journal of Comparative Research in Anthropology and Sociology, 7(1), p.23.