Essays on African Music

African music and dance is a very unique style of art in comparison to most Western dance forms. It often goes beyond the music and even beyond the body – into the realms of soul and spirit. Recently, Professor Dyane Harvey summarized African dance as...

In today’s world, most music we hear is profanity such as rap, pop or any other music in the United States. The one culture that has not changed much is African music; African music genre has stayed true to its culture and roots and somehow...

In 1979, Robert Mugabe was running for Prime Minister of Rhodesia (Colonial Zimbabwe) and was in favour of the country gaining independence from the white minority. In order for the Mugabe to reach his goal, much support would be needed. The country eventually had the...

What is South African Music? South African Music reflects the complex history of African and Western traditions, and of conflict and determination. South Africa lies at the very southern end of Africa and it is home to a myriad of indigenous cultures – it is...

Music is part of our lives almost since we were born, and for many it is considered the food of the soul . There are different types of music, and each person can vary in their tastes. Research results show that music is a powerful...

“A Change is Gonna Come” belongs to the Top 10 Protest Songs of the 1960’s and “What’s Going On” is considered as one of the most beautiful and compelling songs of protest ever recorded. “A Change Is Gonna Come” was written in late 1963 during...

Art is important to every culture, in every country, on every continent. Art is especially important to those who are oppressed in society. This reasoning is true for the culture of the African slaves in the United States from 1830 to 1877 in particular who...

Blues is a kind of folk music produced in the early 20th century among African Americans. Among all the forms of folk songs, it is one of the most interesting to musicologists for the following reasons: Its ‘age’ is not big, and researchers can find...