Week 2 Blog: Afro-Cuban, Jazz, Country, and Township Music in Africa and Diaspora

What initial influence shaped Cuban music due to the slave trade?

African rhythms, particularly from Yoruba and Congolese traditions.

How did Afro-Cuban sounds flow back to Africa in the 1930s?

Through sailors, trade networks, and commercial recordings like Gramophone's African GV series.

What genre emerged in West Africa influenced by Afro-Cuban sounds?

Congolese Rhumba, which is now UNESCO-protected.

What role did Cuban music play for newly independent African nations between 1958-1962?

It offered an anti-imperialist alternative to European 'modernity' and symbolized urban cosmopolitanism.

How did African musicians indigenize Afro-Cuban sounds?

By integrating local instruments and folkloric elements to forge new national identities.

What is the legacy of Cuban music in relation to African musicians?

Ongoing collaborations between Cuban and West African musicians.

What was the purpose of jazz diplomacy during the Cold War?

To promote American values like democracy and freedom, and to project an image of racial harmony.

How did African musicians reclaim jazz in the postcolonial era?

By infusing it with homeland sounds, as seen with artists like Hugh Masekela and Fela Kuti.

What is the significance of jazz in modern African diplomacy?

African countries use jazz for cultural diplomacy, addressing social issues and celebrating heritage.

How has the digital age affected African jazz artists?

It facilitates global exposure for artists like Nduduzo Makhathini and Fatoumata Diawara.

When was country music introduced in Kenya?

Decades ago, following travelers and early radio broadcasts after Kenya's independence.

What themes in country music resonate with Kenyan communities?

Themes of love, family, hardship, and faith, connecting with working-class experiences.

How have Kenyan artists indigenized country music?

By creating local versions, including Swahili-language Christian country tunes.

What genres emerged from township music in South Africa?

Genres like Marabi, Kwela, and Mbaqanga, created by Black South Africans in urban townships.

What was the significance of township music in South Africa?

It became a symbol of identity and resistance against the apartheid system.

How did South African artists adapt Western jazz?

By blending complex harmonies with simpler, repeating African melodic patterns.

What is Afrofuturism?

A cultural aesthetic and philosophical framework blending science fiction, fantasy, and technology with Black history.

What is the purpose of Afrofuturism?

To critique contemporary social issues and envision optimistic, liberated futures.

Which contemporary artists are influenced by Afrofuturism?

Artists like Janelle Monáe and Beyoncé.