Africa: Bayaka and Zimbabwe (Shona) Notes

Bayaka Culture and Music

  • Polyphony: The Bayaka create polyphony in their music, though they are not consciously aware of it, considering it an intrinsic part of their musical tradition. This involves creating individual variations with confidence.
  • Communal and Egalitarian Life: They live a communal life where everyone is cared for and has equal rights. If the group has food, everyone eats; if there's shelter, everyone has shelter. This extends to activities like net hunting where everyone, including women and children, contributes.
  • Musical Focus: Net Hunting (Mabo): A significant portion of their music revolves around net hunting, which they call Mabo (M.A.B.O.). The text of their songs almost always centers on this theme.
  • Vocal Orientation: Bayaka music is heavily vocal-oriented, with everybody participating in singing and dancing. Percussion is minimal, often impromptu, using available items like cooking pots, rakes, or hoes to create a 'cowbell' metallic sound.
  • Vocal Style: Yodeling: Yodeling is a characteristic part of their vocal style, known as dalateria.
  • **Musical Textures (Brief Overview for Context):
    • Monophonic:** Music with a single melody and no harmony. Even 100 people singing the same melody without harmony is considered monophonic. (e.g., Catholic choristers singing one melody in Latin).
    • Homophonic: Features a main melody accompanied by other parts (e.g., most radio music, concert band music).
    • Heterophonic: Involves multiple variations on the same melody. The instructor cites Dixieland jazz (like "When the Saints Go Marching In") where multiple improvisers play variations on a known melody. The instructor argues this borders on polyphony.
    • Polyphonic: Music characterized by two or more independent melodies of equal importance. The Bayaka spontaneously create polyphonic textures without formal knowledge.
  • Integration of Nature's Sounds: Their music incorporates the sounds of the rainforest, including insects and animals.
  • Specific Song Themes: They have songs for various activities and observations, such as elephant hunting (jungle forest elephants being smaller and easier to hunt for pygmies, though still dangerous), spear songs, honey gathering songs, and animal dance songs (often imitating the animal being hunted or the hunt itself).
  • Performance Events: A gathering for performance or celebration is called a Makala or Iboka. These cultural terms are important for matching with the Bayaka culture on tests.

Zimbabwe: Geography, History, and Culture

  • Geographical Location: South Central Africa, landlocked. Formerly known as Rhodesia. The capital is Harare. Present population is approximately 17 (unit unclear, but likely refers to millions).
  • Rivers and Topography: Sandwiched between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers, both historically significant. The country features a high plateau region (purple on topographical maps, indicating elevations over 2,000 meters or approximately 6,000 feet), with 40\% of the country between 3,000 and 4,000 feet. This high elevation provided a defensive advantage and a healthier environment.
  • Health and Elevation: Higher elevations offer protection against vector-borne diseases like malaria (from mosquitoes) and sleeping sickness (from tsetse flies), leading to potentially healthier human habitation.
  • Great Zimbabwe National Monument (Houses of Stone):
    • The name Zimbabwe literally means "houses of stone," derived from this historical monument. It was a vestige of a kingdom that flourished in Southern Africa between the 9th and 15th centuries.
    • The site features massive structures built from large natural stones without the use of cement or mortar. The stone walls, up to 7 meters high, are remarkable for their lack of straight lines or right angles, built entirely in curves, demonstrating advanced stone masonry techniques.
    • It served as a royal residence for the king and included ritual sites and cemeteries.
    • A conical tower, shaped like a granary, stands inside the Great Enclosure and is believed to have represented the king's power.
    • A town at the base of the hill housed 6,000 houses and 18,000 people at its peak. This kingdom was a wealthy trading stopover, profiting from gold mined nearby.
    • The Shona people, who founded the kingdom after migrating from the Sahara Desert, still live in the area, recounting their glorious past through song.
    • The flourishing kingdom mysteriously disappeared during the 15th century.
  • Shona People and Languages: The Shona constitute 82\% of Zimbabwe's population. They speak Shona, and English is the common European language, differing from the Bayaka who had French as a common language due to French colonization in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Zimbabwe has 16 official languages.
  • Economy and Trade:
    • Pastoralists: The Shona are pastoralists, raising cattle primarily for milk and cheese, benefiting from the high elevation that reduces pest-related diseases for livestock.
    • Early Trade: Arabs began trading with the Shona in the 10th century via the Indian Ocean, which led to the establishment of the Kingdom of Mapungabwe (10th century AD).
    • European Contact: The Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive, followed by the Dutch in the 19th century, and then the British. This history involved significant colonial influence from multiple European powers.
    • Traded Goods: Gold, ivory, copper, leopard skins, and tortoiseshells were key trade items.
  • Independence and Modern Agriculture/Minerals: Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980. Economically, it cultivates cotton, tobacco, wheat, coffee, tea, sugarcane, peanuts, and raises sheep, goats, and pigs. Its mineral resources include gold, silver, platinum, copper, ferrochrome, and asbestos.

The Mbira (Imbira) Instrument and Shona Spirituality

  • The Instrument: Mbira Dzavadzimu (Imbira):
    • A plucked lamellophone, where "lamell" signifies a "tongue" (in this case, metal). The instrument shown has 24 keys, often crafted from high-grade metal, specifically bicycle spokes, which requires the skill of a blacksmith.
    • It is played by plucking the metal tongues with the fingers, demanding developed fingernails and calluses.
    • The range of notes can vary, with simpler versions having as few as 7 keys.
    • Tuning (Chuning): The tuning of the Mbira varies and depends on the teacher or tradition. Modern instruments may sometimes be tuned to Western scales to allow for fusion with contemporary music styles.
    • Amplification: Traditionally, the Mbira is placed inside a large calabash gourd, which acts as a natural acoustic amplifier. Modern players may use electronic pickups for amplification.
  • Spiritual Purpose: Spirit Possession and Trance:
    • The Mbira is not just a musical instrument; it is central to Shona spiritual practices, played to induce possession by ancestral spirits.
    • The goal is to enter a meditative, trance-like state, facilitated by the instrument's pleasant, continuous flow of notes, often described as repetitious but not boring.
    • The instructor recounts witnessing similar spirit possession ceremonies in Brazil (Condomble service) and mentions stories of individuals falling into trances merely by hearing religious drumming.
  • Shona Beliefs about Spirits: The Shona believe in four classes of spirits:
    • Chiefs
    • Family members
    • Non-relatives and animals (grouped together)
    • Witches
  • Motivation for Spirit Contact: People seek communication with their dead relatives or other spirits for guidance and assistance in their rural lives, which are subject to the mercies of nature, dependent on food, and vulnerable to disease. They might ask for advice on fixing problems, protection, help with hunting or farming (e.g., rainfall), or resolving disputes with neighbors.
  • Musical Technique and Vocal Modes:
    • Hocket-based Rhythm: The Mbira is often played with a hocket-like technique, where two or more parts interlock to create a faster, continuous stream of notes. The leading part is called Kutsanira ("to lead"), and the following part is called Kushara ("to follow").
    • Vocal Modes in Performances:
      • Mahanera: Refers to talking or using vocables.
      • Kunakatera: Involves actual singing of poetry or musical texts.
      • Yularo: Denotes yodeling, a vocal technique also found in Bayaka music, making it a recurring characteristic across different African cultures discussed.
  • Performance Context: Mbira performances often occur in communal settings, with individuals playing, singing, and dancing to collectively achieve a spirit possession trance.