In the Course Materials, you will find a folder of materials (Unit 4: Music of African Empires). Begin with the Wikipedia article on Music of Mali, which will give you a broad context. Then spend some time with the Unit 4 Playlist: Music of African Empires on YouTube.
The playlist begins with a couple of brief introductory videos which will enrich your sense of historical and cultural context. Then, theres music which will speak for itself in some ways, but will also draw your attention to the importance of language in Mande musical traditions (and a great many of other West African traditions).
I encourage you to spend as much time as possible with the material in the playlist. Youll notice that Ive included a variety of styles and instruments When you find something that speaks to you, listen to it more than once! Again: you will find that repeated listening will give you a sense of familiarity with the music that no amount of explanations could give. Listen
Beyond the playlist, Ive offered a set of Wikipedia articles, all of which are closely related. (A network model works well for both music and the digital data!) Each article will offer some foundational knowledge on one aspect or another of music associated with the Mande empire.
Of course, the Mande empire is only one example of African empires among numerous others. At the end of the playlist, Ive included a couple of videos of music associated directly with other royal courts in West Africa (Oyo/Ife/Yoruba/Benin), which will lead you to other royal and imperial musical traditions.
Discussion Board Assignment
In a brief reflection (6-8 sentences), answer one or more of the following sets of questions:
What aspect of the history of Mande music seemed most interesting, surprising, and/or significant to you?
What performance from the playlist did you enjoy the most? What did you learn about the instruments, style/genre, or artists in the performance?
Did you learn about other African empires and their music? If so, how did they seem to compare to our case study (music of the Mande empire)? Did it seem similar or different in significant ways?
The djembe drum (also known as jembe, etc) is arguably the most iconic African musical instrument, and the playlist offers two very different (but intimately related) examples of djembe drumming. What did you learn about the instrument, style/genre, or artists in the performance?
What did you think of the performances in the playlist which seemed to combine traditional and modern or international musical features? For example: the kora and cello duet by Ballake Sissoko and Vincent Segal? Or the balafon duet Bassidi and Khalifa Kone?
Edit your reflection for the sake of clarity, thoughtfulness, and attention to detail.
Submit your reflection (in the Reflection 4: Music of African Empires Forum in our Blackboard Discussion Board).
Remember to click New Thread and write your full name in the Subject field.
Your reflection will be due . t will be worth 5 points, and it will be evaluated according to its clarity, thoughtfulness, and attention to detail.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Mali
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griot
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mali_Empire
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mande_languages
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mand_peoples
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandinka_people
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