Themes

Traditional music in Africa

By Music In Africa Foundation

01 Jul 2019 - 12:29

As much as traditional music plays a central role in forming the identity of modern music in Africa, the genre has seen a steep decline in terms of popularity in the past few decades.

South African multi-instrumentalist Pops Mohamed playing the kora. Photo: The Capetowner

As technology and globalisation continue to dominate how music is created and inspired, it’s probable that many traditional music forms will be lost forever. That is why there are a number of organisations working intensively to archive traditional music for tomorrow’s generations to learn from, especially in Africa where there are thousands of musical cultures on the verge of extinction at any given time. This work is done by individuals who understand the importance of preserving the continent’s folk history, sometimes in the face of small or nonexistent budgets, and little credit for their efforts.

Many traditional musicians are also finding it increasingly difficult to make a living without having to switch to creating more mainstream music, although there are various communities in Africa that prefer listening to traditional music and in the process support the musicians who create it.

At Music In Africa we try our very best to give traditional music the exposure it deserves by publishing Overviews about the various genres that exist on the continent and by covering events that programme traditional musicians.

We also conduct activities such as the Traditional Instrument Building and Repair Workshop in the hope that the precarious knowledge associated with traditional music isn’t lost to aspiring instrument makers.

Below is content that is in line with our traditional music editorial policy. Visit this page daily for news, features and research articles as the month of June progresses.

Traditional music News & Features

Traditional music Overviews