Musical

Every time you turn on your radio or listen to a television show, there is a huge chance that the music you hear is at least partly African in origin.  This is because the music of Africa has strongly influenced and penetrated the music of Europe and America.  Diverse musical types as hip-hop, pop, chill out and jazz can all trace their roots to patterns in African music. 

The influence began when African Negroes were brought to America as slaves, taking their culture, songs and dances with them.  Gradually, as they adjusted to their new home, they combined their indigenous music with American Indian music they heard in the New World.  The result was a new and original American Negro folk music.  Its greatest influence can still be heard in jazz, which is one of the most popular forms of music today.  

Pure African music has been considered primitive because it comes from people who do not have written languages.  Most songs are passed by word-of-mouth rather than by the use or the right thing of notes.  However, it does not seem right to call this kind of music primitive, because some of it is more highly developed in the folk music of America and Europe. 

Music has been a potent and integral force in everyday African life.  To the African Negroes, music is built into their history and experience.  The music means much more to them than merely a means of listening pleasure.  As in most first societies, it is primarily associated with ceremonial and religious life.  Besides ceremonial and prayer songs, African music also contains songs appropriate only for certain times of the year.  There are unique songs heard only in events such as birth, marriage, death, healing, for bringing rain and for battle.  The Watusi tribe in Rwanda has songs for young women, working songs, songs for boasting and songs for cattle and children. 

Everyone plays an active part in the musical life of an African tribe.  In a typical tribe, it is not unusual to see every member having a unique musical talent.  There are some professional musicians who are paid for their musical skills, but most members of an African tribe know and can sing their music as a matter of course.   There are tribes with very simple songs and there are others who have complicated singing and instrumental music.  Some tribes in East Africa specialize in music played on xylophones, while native tribes of West Africa have developed the art of drum playing to a very high level of skill. 

Music is intimately tied to the events that are most important to the welfare of the tribe.  For some tribes, cattle are extremely important because they are the chief source of food.  Therefore, cattle are a popular subject for a wide variety of songs.  It is not unusual to hear ceremonial songs about cattle, songs to keep cattle thieves away at night, children's cow songs and songs that recount historical events where cattle have taken part.  This shows that there are many kinds of songs connected to only one aspect of tribal life, so you can only imagine how many other different kinds of songs there must be for all the other experiences of one tribe.