Indigenous folk music from the content of Africa has for a long time been a basis for rhythm that exists in the music of the Western hemisphere to date. From the reverberating sounds of the Djembe drum out of West Africa and such groups as Fatala from Guinea and Farafina from Burkina Faso to the boot dancers of the miners from the South Africa(of which today can be seen in the black fraternal orders of Greek life aka as stepping) We have come to embrace these Indigenous styles rooted in oral traditions through storytelling. and functioning in ceremonies of birth marriage and death, mating rituals and celebration. The styles of these Indigenous sounds utilize the call and response synonymous with the Black church in America. The idea of improvisation and intonation utilized in the scat sounds of jazz, as well. The sounds of Africa whether North, West. East or South has shaped and in most cases been the foundation for a myriad of musical genres in the western hemisphere.
Today we have such artists as Allison Hinds out of Barbados whose brand of Soca utilized an Indigenous song taken from the Dutch country of Surinam to score one of her biggest hits which became popular during Carnival season. The song “Faluma” embraced elements of the sounds of African slaves that existed in the rain Forrest of that region, sung in a dialect all their own yet infused with veracious rhythms and sounds that invoked a spiritual aspect. The sounds spoke of Indigenous ancestral worship and traveling water Spirits, as outlined by the lyrics. The song was redone in contemporary fashion adding an all together Soca sound of steel pan and gyrating movements.
Another form of Indigenous music was utilized by a new Afro Pop/Dancehall artist Eddy Kenzo out of Uganda with his use of Jamaican Dance Hall styles he has created a fusion that appeals to the younger generation. I must admit I instantly became a fan as a music officianodo who embraces many different genres. Coupled with his penchant for his Faith you can see these elements shine through the musical arrangements in such songs as “Mbilo Mbilo” .Uganda for a long time has embraced the Dancehall genre out of the island of Jamaica since the 1990s focusing on artist like Shabba Ranks and Buju Banton. These elements influenced a generation that are now at the helm, added to the mix is of course Hip Hop which has mass appeal virtually all over the world.
The effects of indigenous music has not died out at least in Africa fully embraced and fused with the existing music of today to create a melting pot of musical styles that contain meaning and composition that will last for centuries, as long as people continue to study it and embrace it. I know I am certainly up to the task to do so.
Got A Million Rhymes 