F H 4: Music and Dance

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Music & Dance are part of life in Africa

 It is the star of every event.
You cannot separate life and music in Africa--music is a part of life...


 

Musicians

Man With Drum

"We are almost a nation of dancers, musicians and poets," wrote Olaudah Equiano in his autobiography published in England in 1789.

Olaudah was from the Igbo ethnic group in Nigeria in West Africa. He described how every great event in his village was celebrated with public dances, songs and music suited to each occasion.

The rhythms of our African drums have influenced many types of music around the world

Man With Talking Drum

But drums have also served another purpose in Africa. Long before the cell phone, long before the telegraph my people had wireless communications.

For untold centuries we used code to send messages from village to village with our "talking" drums.

Dogon Dancer

Click on Photos to Enlarge

Pende Dancer (detail) 

N'Kele ©1995, Wire/Alum, 26x48x11"
Dancers, many on tall stilts, elaborate costumes woven from raffia palm, drummers and other musicians all contribute to the excitement of the Pende celebrations. The Pende people live in the Bandundu region of Congo.

Musicians I

The artist playing a Kalimba (Thumb Piano) he made from a broken street light and some bicycle spokes. 

N'Kele's use of humble media...wire, scrap metal, aluminum mesh, window screen and found, with neither solder or welding...has drawn praise everywhere it has been exhibited