African music-cultures are strongly humanistic. And many kinds of African music foster group participation . The history of an African musical heritage like Mande jaliya casts a humbling light onto recent idioms. When non-Africans play African music, especially those of us with white skin, the legacy of slavery and colonialism affects how an audience receives the performance. Thomas Mapfumo , who as a young rock n' roller faced discrimination, now competes in the commercial marketplace with international bands that cover African pop songs.
Music is a joyful yet rigorous discipline.
I contend that the hard work of musical analysis yields important benefits. By making clear the sophistication of African musical traditions, analysis promotes an attitude of respect. As we have seen, this profound and elemental timing ratio animates many African traditions. Each chapter in this book benefits from this type of questioning. We seek to know how people understand themselves, but we must acknowledge the impact of our own perspective.