Why I No Longer Want to Use the Word “Griot”
For decades, outsiders have lumped Africa’s jeliw, gewel, onye akwa, and countless other culture keepers under one imported label—“griot.” The word traces to Portuguese criado (“servant”) and 18th-century French colonial records, yet it still dominates textbooks and music syllabi across the continent. When we swap living, indigenous names for a foreign catch-all, we flatten rich, distinct roles—praise-singer, historian, drummer, spiritual adviser—into a single colonial shorthand. True decolonization starts with language: retiring “griot” and restoring the authentic terms rooted in each community’s tongue.
Not Funny, Lord: Trusting Through Trials
Discover how faith can guide us through life’s toughest trials in our latest blog post, “Not Funny, Lord: Trusting Through Trials.” Explore personal stories of resilience, the biblical tale of Job, and the unshakeable trust that sustains us during hardships. Learn how to find strength and purpose through unwavering faith. Join us as we delve into the profound lessons of suffering, trust, and divine humor.
Black And Afraid (I Just Want To Live)
Gratitude fills my heart for your willingness to engage with my music and for the steadfast support you’ve shown. I warmly encourage you to immerse yourself in the melodies and messages of this song, to ponder its themes, and to extend its reach by sharing it with those dear to you. Let’s spread the word, inspire reflection, and foster a community of listeners who are moved not just by sound, but by the profound messages we navigate together.
Maximizing Your Vocal Potential: A Succinct Guide to Selecting a Vocal Coach and Honing Your Craft
Vocal coaching is an important factor in taking the voice from a raw, undeveloped form into a seasoned and technically sound shape. The coach is familiar with all shades of vocal faults as well as appropriate diagnosis and exercises for solving them. The expertise of a coach is needed in detecting bad vocal habits that are disguised as good singing but in the long run tend to lead to over exertion or premature careers. The importance of a good coach cannot be overemphasized, which underscores the need to research extensively and carefully when choosing one.
OFFERTORY IN MEDIEVAL TIMES AND THEIR PARALLEL TO MUSIC IN AFRICAN TRADITIONAL WORSHIP
When we observe our lives and the activities we engage in from day to day, we are able to gather quickly the things that are important and indispensable for a satisfactory and rich experience. Since the time of antiquity to present day modernism, music has continuously remained an important part of our existence and the shared experiences that unite people. Great writers and thinkers such as Aristotle, Chalcidius, Guido of Arezzo, Boethius and Augustine have written extensively about music and over time, music has continued to garner mor and more attention to this day.
Concert for Unity with The Yuval Ron Ensemble: A Review
The California Lutheran University hosts an artist and speakers series regularly. One of them is the concert for unity which held at 7PM of Tuesday October 15th, 2019. This installment of the series featured the Yuval Ron Ensemble, a group dedicated to the performance of music from the Middle East, irrespective of their religious affiliations.
‘The Word became Flesh and Dwelt Among Us’- A Concert by the Heritage Christian High School Choir: A Review
It is not common to witness a high school choir Christmas concert performance that has all the trappings of a professional, well- funded group.
THE ROLE OF MUSIC IN SUFI WHIRLING: TRANSCENDENTAL ATTRIBUTES OF THE MEDLEY, “SUFI,” BY THE YUVAL RON ENSEMBLE
Important musical inquiries intended to create a better understanding of a people’s culture, in any part of the world, is often approached from a variety of perspectives. Of utmost importance is the relationship between music and religion. Evidence from academic studies show proof of the interconnectedness and complementarity of both. It is a common occurrence to find music performed as a very important part of religious gatherings. Many ceremonies cannot take place without music. As we would see in the course of this paper, music has become an important tool in the attainment of an altered state of consciousness that characterizes a dhikr, or Sufi ceremony of remembrance. The interaction of music and the Whirling Dervish would be the focus of this inquiry.
AFRICAN GLOBALIZATION: NIGERIA’S ECONOMIC RESPONSE TO GLOBAL INTEGRATION AND INTERDEPENDENCY
It is true that the world is becoming a global village. The velocity with which technological advancements are spreading has made this even more possible. The need for a free market has positioned capitalists in an advantageous position for benefitting greatly from this interconnectedness. Historically, the intention of imperialists has always been to gain access to the resources and markets of others for free or close to nothing. This quest has bred greed and an insatiable need for control of global resources at the expense of human dignity. African countries have been on the receiving end of this debasement of human dignity. Africans have had to endure colonialism, slavery, and inherit economies that were structured to benefit external players more than its owners. The solution is not for Africa to isolate itself from the rest of the world, but to integrate with caution and on its own terms.
Paul Livingstone (Sitar) and Abhijit Banerjee (Tabla) – Ragas and Rhythms of India: A Review
On Wednesday October 30th, 2019, at the Drinkward Recital Hall, Harvey Mudd College, Paul Livingstone presented an Indian music concert as part of the Ken Stevens ’62 Founding Class Concert series. Livingstone presented an evening Raga, which he performed on the Sitar, in collaboration with Abhijit Banerjee on the Tabla. The atmosphere at this concert could be described as serene and meditative, it could be likened to a feeling of being transported out of the physical realm.
