34;AFRICAN RHYTHMS AND EXTENSIONS"

"African

Rhythms

and Extensions" is

hostedby Dr. Kofi Kissi

Dompere

andis

broadcaston

WPFW,

89.3

FM Sundays

from 10 p.m. to 12midnight.

The program

started

more

thantenyearsagoas"African Roots."

The

agenda of"African

Rhythms

and Extensions"istopromoteAfrican

music in the UnitedStatesandtoshare theAfrican creativeessencein rhythms;topromote awareness by Africanimmigrantand non-African communities ofthe relationshipbetween Blackmusical formsandoftheir rootsinAfrican musical forms; andtousemusic tobring peopletogetherinpeaceand understanding.

The program

isstructured underthree rubrics.

"Meta

Polyrhythms"pre- sents different traditionalmusical forms.

A news

section bringscommunitiesintocontactwith whatishappeningin thecontinentofAfrica.

And

the"African

Megamix

in

Polyrhythms"presents

modern

Africanmusical formsand theirrelationshipstootherBlack musical forms.

The

ob- jectivesof "African

Rhythms

and Extensions"areto sell Africanmusicand topresentAfricanculturein itsfinest form. Musicalperformancesareselectedto

show

relation- shipsandcontinuities

among

African musicalformsand todemonstrate thaton onelevel the musical languagesare thesame. Like

"The

AfricanConnection,"this

program

alsoprojectsan ideaofAfrican unitybyeducatingAfri- canstootherAfricanmusical stylestheyhave never heard.

Dr.KofiKissi

Dompere

isaprofessorintheDepart-

ment

of

Economics

at

Howard

University.His countryof

CeceModupeFadopeinterviews ahumanrightsattorneyon her weeklyradioprogram,"African Perspectives,"heardonWPFW-FM

inWashington,D.C.

Photo by Harold Dorwin

Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife 55

origin isGhana.

He

previously hosted a

program

called

"World

Rhythms'* forfouryears, althoughhehad nofor-

maltraining in radiobroadcasting.

He

acquired his

know-

ledgeaboutAfrican musical formsandtheircultural im- plicationsthrough reading.

He

has hostedthe

program

for

more

thanten years,financingithimselfand hostingit

without pay. Dr.

Dompere

remarked, "I

hope

thatpeople willunderstand throughthe 'African

Rhythms

andExten- sions'

program

that Africa has alottoofferin termsof civilization,andit

would

beusefulto payalittle

good

attention. I

hope

that 'African

Rhythms' would become

notonlyan instrumentof enjoymentbutalsoan instru-

ment

ofinstruction."

While

alloftheradio hosts interviewedusedifferent approaches, allareworking toward a

common

goal,

which

ispromotingandpositivelyprojecting Africantraditions andcultures. Thereisareal needfortheestablishmentof an African radiostation that

would

be underthe

manage- ment

anddirectorshipofAfrican immigrants.

Such

a station

would empower

theAfricanimmigrants,giving

them

the

freedom

toselect andpresent

more

cultural programs

which

addresstheirneeds andinterests.Inad- dition,they

would

beable toscheduleandallocate

enough

time foreach program,including culturalprogramsfor

young

peopleand seniors.

With

their

own

radiostations under

community management,

theAfricanimmigrants

would

havetheopportunitytoexpressthemselves

more

andsharetheirfeelings andopinions with regardto their culturesandtraditions.

Ann

Nosiri

Olumba

isa

community

scholar

and

research consultant

who

hasstudiedthe roleof^the

media

inher nativeNigeriaas wellas inmetropolitan Washington, D.C.,

where

shecurrentlyresides.

African & Caribbean

African Immigrant Enterprise

in Metropolitan Washington, D.C.:

A ^{Photo Essa^}

Kinuthia

Macharia

Starting

^anewbusiness requires innovation, risktaking,hardwork,andalotofdiscipline.

For Africanimmigrants,

who

havesettledin

theWashington,D.C.area atleast7,000milesfrom home,evenmoreisinvolved. Africanimmigrants mustlearnAmericanbusinesspractices,laws,and success strategies.Manyrelyontraditionalskills, such as hair braiding,tailoringordressmaking,and cookingasabasisfortheirbusinesses.Atthesame

time,theyrelyontraditionalsocialnetworkswithin theirimmigrantcommunities

—

friendship, kinship,andpeoplefrom thesameregion or ethnic group backhome

—

tohelpthemsucceed.

Somebusinessescatermainlytofellowimmi- grants lookingforservicesand goodsavailablein Africa,suchasthespecialtygroceriesfoundatthe OyingboInternationalStoreinHyattsville,Mary-

land.Othersserve as agatheringplaceforthepan- Africancommunity,liketheSoukousCluband SerengetiClubon GeorgiaAvenueinWashington,

D.C. Stillothers find theirmainclienteletobe AfricanAmericansinsearch of theirroots:for instance, stores specializinginAfrican clothing, music,andcrafts.

Thesephotographssuggest the rangeof businessesestablishedbyAfricanimmigrantsin

thegreatermetropolitanarea ofWashington,D.C.

Dr.KinuthiaMacharia,originallyfrom Kenya,isa professorinthe SociologyDepartmentatThe AmericanUniversity.Hepreviouslytaughtat HarvardUniversity.Hisresearchinterestsinclude cultureandentrepreneurshipinEast Africaand AfricanimmigrantsintheUnitedStates.

Light,Ivan.1984.ImmigrantandEthnic Enterprisein North America.EthnicandRacial Studies7:195-216.

Macharia,Kinuthia.1997."TheAfricanEntrepreneur intheWashington,D.C,MetropolitanArea:

TraditionintheServiceof Entrepreneurship."

Researchreport fortheAfricanImmigrantFolklife StudyProject.

Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife

ObengInternationalGroceryⁱⁿ Hyattsville,Maryland,isoneof several Africanimmigrant-owned grocerystoresintheWashington, D.C,area.Inadditiontofresh produce such asyams,cassava, cola nuts, specialkindsofpeppersand

freshherbs,and packagedspicesand condiments importedfromAfrica, suchstoresoften carrynewspapers, magazines,videosandrecordings, andotherproductsfromhome. They arealso outlets forAfrican immigrant-produceditemssuch as baked goodsfromtheWestAfrican BakeryinWoodbridge,Virginia.

Photo by HaroldDorwin

57

(right)Followingcenturies-old traditionsof long-distance trade throughout^Africa,itinerantvendors ofAfricandecorativeartsand jewelryhaveinitiatedbusinesses at

manylocal streetfestivals inthe Districtof Columbia'sMalcolmX

Park,inAlexandria,Virginia,andin SilverSpring,Maryland.A^vendor, originallyfromMali,displayshis wares atFreedomPlazainamanner learnedfrom observingand

imitating similar displaysinWest African touristmarketsand Europeancities.

Photo byNomvula Cook

(right)ThonyAnyiamathisshopin theInternational Mall,LangleyPark, Maryland.Thony Anyiamlearnedhis tailoringskillsfrom familymembers

in hisnativeIvory Coast. Hisshop joinsanumberof otherAfrican immigrant-ownedshopsinthe InternationalMallinLangleyPark includingLagosFabrics.Inthe traditional Africanmanner,clients pick their fabricsand cometoThony Anyiamforaconsultationonstyles.

Videotapesas wellasstylebooks helpclientsdecideontheirgarments, whichwillbewornforspecial occasionssuch asnaming ceremonies, dances,andweddings.

Photo by Harold Dorwin

(above)Individual craftspeoplesuch as

Mamo

Tessema, whocreates fineceramicsand enameledjewelry,use traditionalskillsinnewwayshereinthe Washington, D.C.,area.Forinstance,Mr.Tessemaproduces potsand cupsusedfor traditional coffeeceremonies; they otherwisewould havetobe importedfromEthiopiaat greatcostandriskofdamagebecause oftheirfragility.

His coffeeservices,however,reflectWestern ceramic technigues instead of thetraditionalunglazed pottery of Ethiopia.Anothercraftspersoninthearea,Namori^Keita,

useshis skill inwoodcarvingtocreate architectural artistrywhich he learnedinSenegalandMali.

Photo by Harold Dorwin

African Immigrant Folklife

(below) Cateringisdonefromrestaurants,commercial kitchens,orhomesinWashington,D.C.,areaAfrican immigrantcommunities. Occasions cateredinclude weddings,namingceremonies, graduations,andcultural eventssuch asIndependenceDaycelebrations.Some

caterers advertise their servicesinnewslettersandother communitypublications,butmany^areknownonlyby wordofmouth. Photo by HaroldDorwin

(left)Overa dozen Ethiopian restaurants are locatedon and around18th Streetand Columbia RoadintheAdams MorganareaofWashington,D.C.,servingaromatic stews served overflatinjerabreadandstrongcoffees.While these restaurantsoffera gathering placeforthelarge Ethiopiancommunityinthearea,theyalsodelight Washingtondinersandtouristsfromallover theworld.A few WestAfricanrestaurantsandonerepresentingSouth Africahavealsosprungupinthe area.Inaddition, Africanimmigrant-ownedgrocerystores,recordshops, andartsandcraftsstoresline18thStreet.Restaurant ownerCecelia Vilakazilikestothinkofthisblend of AfricanbusinessesinAdams Morganasthebeginningof an"Africanrenaissance"inWashington,D.C.

Photo by HaroldDorwin

(left)Thehair-braidingindustryin theUnitedStateshasbeen stimulatedbythepresenceof highlyskilledentrepreneurial Africanwomen.Thissaloninthe Mt.Pleasantareaisoneofmany

Africanimmigrant-ownedbraiding salonsinWashington,D.C.

Photo by DianaBairdN'Diaye

Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife 59

Sacred Sounds:

^Belief '&>

Society

James

Early

Throughout world history sacred sounds have served as a

medium _for human ^cultures

to raise queries,

advance beliefs,

give praise, and

inspire others to join in explor- ation of ^the mysteries of

earthly existence

and the greater universe.

f ^I

^~\ eflecting the

f^

widespread and

1 V^growing

public awareness of and^interestin religious beliefsandspirit- ual

meaning

ineveryday

life,the 1997Festivalof

American

Folklife

program

Sacred Sounds:Belief

&

Society features avarietyof religiousandspiritual tradi- tions.

Through

performan- cesand discussions with Festival visitors,Festival participants

from Old

RegularBaptist

communi-

tiesin Kentucky,hip

hop

Christianworshipers

from The

Bronx,

New

York, African-Americangospel choirsandquartets, representativesofSouth African indigenous-Christ- ianblendsofworshipand popularmusic, andprac- titionersof Islamicand Judaic traditionsinJeru- salem,

among

other religiousandcultural communities,willshare theirperspectivesand feelingsaboutthe intrinsic nature oftheirsacred culturesandthe musical extensionsoftheir faiths intothesecularworld.

Throughout

worldhistory sacred sounds haveserved asa

medium

for

human

culturesto raise queries, advancebeliefs,givepraise, and inspireotherstojoin in exploration ofthemysteries ofearthly existenceandthe greater universe.

These

sacredsoundtraditions

encompass

abroad range of

expressive forms: melodicandrepetitive vocalizations calledchants;sharp, passionate,emotion-filled hums, groans, shouts; percussive,rhythmic handclapsand foot stomps;and extendedsong, sermon, andinstrumental arrangements.Instrumental music,sungprayers, and mysticalchants have been usedto

communicate

withthe divine, to unite religiouscommunities,and toexpress moral, political, social, and

economic

aspirations. Sacred soundsin

many

traditionsarethe central

means

for invocationofthespirits.

The

utteranceofparticular soundsisthought

by many

culturestoformaconnection toalltheelementsoftheuniverse.In

some

beliefsystems music and sound vibrationsarepathwaysforhealing body, mind, andspirit.

Among

the

wide

rangeof

human

expressive behavior,thecapacitytoinfuse thejoys, sor- rows,andhumility thatcharacterizereligiousandspiritual beliefs into oralpoetry, chants, songs,and instrumental musiciscertainly oneofthe

most

powerful and

inspirational

ways

allpeoplesandcultures

acknowledge

thespiritofthe

Supreme

in theirlives.

Althoughsecularand sacredaretermsused todisting- uishworldlyand temporal concerns fromtherealm ofthe universal andthe eternal,sacred soundsare not necessarily restricted toformalsettings in

which

religiousrituals are performedforfollowers.Civil rights struggles,national democraticliberation

movements,

and unionpicketlines area

few

ofthenon-sacredspaces

where

religiousmusic hasbeenconsistentlyand meaningfullyincorporatedinto worldlyaffairs.

Inthe UnitedStates the

predominance

of Christianity and itsrelated sacredtext

may

readilybringto

mind

familiarreferencestosacred sounds:

"Make

ajoyfulnoise untotheLord....

Come

^{before his}presencewith singing"

(Psalm 100: 1-2);

"My

Lord.

He

calls

me by

thethunder...

thetrumpets soundwithin

my

soul..."(from"Steal

Away"

[African-Americanspiritual]). Inside andoutside oftheUnitedStates

many

otherreligiousandspiritual traditions indiversecultural communitiesalsoexpress profoundbeliefsthrough sacredsounds. For example,the Upanishads

—

Vedic sacredtreatisesof ancient India

—

teach that"the essenceof sacred

knowledge

is

word

and sound,andtheessence of

word

andsoundis [the

hummed

syllable]

OM."

Although thelanguages of

many

religious textsand

Supportforthisprogram comesfrom TheRecordingIndustriesMusic PerformanceTrustFundsandthe RepublicofSouthAfricaDepartment ofArts,Culture,Science,and Technology.

Hip hop,acontemporaryform oforal culturecreatedpredominantly by African-AmericanandPuerto Rican youth oftheSouthBronx, finds expressionintheChristianrap ministryof BrothersInc.4DaLord.

Photo©Alex Gomez

spokenrituals

may

be inaccessible todifferent cultural communities, sacredsoundsaregenerally wellreceived and understood as a

means

by

which

all cultures

acknow-

ledgehigherstatesof wonder,consciousness, andorder thattranscendeverydaythoughts,actions, andactivities and connect one andall tothedeeperrecessesofthe universe. Plato referred to"music asmoral law ... the essence oforder, [that] leadstoallthatisgood,justand beautiful, of

which

itisthe invisible, but nevertheless dazzling,passionate,andeternalform."

Physicalmigrationsand telecommunicationsbringthe world'sreligiousculturesinto

new mixed

^{worshipspaces:}

increasingly, different religiousservices areheldin the

same

placeofworshipatdifferent times, anddiverse religious servicesandstyles ofsacredmusic

come

into

homes

viaradioand television.

New

encountersthat bring previouslyisolated

community

worshiptraditionsfaceto face sometimes challengePlato's "essenceoforder" and

literallyjarthe religious andspiritualassumptions

—

and theveryears

—

of those of us unfamiliarwith other sacred traditionsandexpressivecultural behavior.For example, accordingtoa recent Washington Postreport,oneofthe long-time parishioners ofCalvary Presbyterian

Church

in Alexandria, Virginia,tookoffenseata"particularAfrican-

styleservice"in

which Ghanaian

immigrantsin thecon- gregationbrought forth"offerings withsongand swirling dance,

accompanied

by drums, synthesizerandelectric guitar."

On

theotherhand,the spiritual awareness of one ofthechurchelders

was expanded

throughtheobservance ofadifferent cultural

community's

approachtohisfaith:

"Ineverfelt thespiritso strongly."

Festival visitors will

meet

avarietyofreligious practi- tionersandsacred sound performers

whose

religiousand spiritualdoctrinesarequite similarintheiracknowledge-

ment

of

human

^existence in agrander

scheme

oforgani- zation createdandruledbya

Supreme

power(s).

They

will learn thateachgroup (AmericanIndian, Islamic. Buddhist, Christian. Hindu,Santerfa,Judaic,

Mokhukhu

oftheZion Christian

Church

ofSouthAfrica)

may

exhibitmultiple variations

on

thesacredsounds ofthe

same

religiousor spiritualdoctrine.

They

willobservethat,in communities definedby religiousdenomination, racial identity, cultural style,agegroup, andgender, sacredsoundsareexpressed througha rich varietyofartisticforms, with awide range ofemotionalintensity, inabroadspectrum ofmeditative tenors andcreative participatory

dynamics between

per- formersandaudiences.

Festival visitors will learn

how

thelined-outsingingof

Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife 61

Suggested Listening from the Smithsonian Folkways

Collection

BlackAmericanReligiousMusic from Southeast Georgia.19.

FestivalofJapanese Musicin

HawaiiVol. 7.8885.

OldBelievers:Songsof the NekrasovCossacks.40462.

Rhythmsof Rapture: Sacred Musics of Haitian Vodou. 40464.

SacredRhythmsofCubanSanteria.

40419.

WadeintheWater:African AmericanSacredMusic

Traditions,Volumes1-4.

40076.

YorubaDrums fromBenin, WestAfrica.40440.

the

Old

RegularBaptists fromthecoal-miningcountryof thesouthern Appalachian Mountainsreflectsa multi- cultural historyofEnglish/Scots/Irish-based

American

melodictraditions.

They

willwitnessthe intensely expressedbeliefoftheZion Christian

Church

ofSouth Africa

—

the largest Christianchurchonthecontinentof Africa

—

andhear

how

itmeldstraditionalnative religious beliefsandtheteachingsofChristian mission- aries.

Through

intimate conversations withparticipants, visitorswill learn about AsianPacific

American

sacred

traditions,

which

are increasinglyvisible, audible, vibrant elements of

new

andold

communities

acrosstheUnitedStates.

Performersof Santeria, a synthesisof

West

African

Yoruba

Orisha worshipand CatholicismpracticedinCuba,the United States,and areasofSouth America,will demonstrateand inform visitors

how

cross- fertilization

between

culturally different worshiptraditionscan leadto

what

is

generally referred toas syncretism.Inthe caseofSanteria, song, instrumental music

(oriis), and danceareas central to thebasic character ofthereligiousritualasthe spoken

word

isinotherreligions.

The

narrativestagein theSacred

Sounds program

isthe settingin

which

visitorscan pursue suchquestionsas

how

theage-old processofpassingdifferent religious traditions andstyles from onegenerationtothe nextinteractswith theever-changing popular musicscene.

Young

visitors andadultscanjointly inquireabouthiphop, a highly popularmusic form

among

youtharoundtheworldthatis

a creative

way

for

some

of today'syouth ministries,such asBrothers Inc.4

Da

Lord, toexpresstheirChristianfaith

—

despite thefactthathip

hop

isroundlycriticizedfor promotion ofviolence,misogyny, and vulgar language.

Thereis nosubstitute for directexperience withthevast arrayofsacred musicaltraditions that

make

up the

human

family.

As

sacred beliefsystems

from

aroundtheworld

become more

mobileandtheirmusicaltraditions

more

evidentinour

home

communities,

we

areafforded oppor- tunities tovisitdifferentworshipservicesand

community

festivals,

make new

acquaintances,andlearn andappre- ciate first-hand the

wondrous

worlds ofsacredsoundsand beliefs.Sacredsound performers

from

throughoutthe country and aroundtheworldarealsowell

documented

andpreserved inthearchivesof Smithsonian

Folkways

Recordings, averitable

museum

oftheair attheSmith- sonianCenterfor Folklife

Programs &

^{CulturalStudies.}

James

EarlyistheDirector ofCultural Studies

and Communications

at the Center forFolklife

Programs &

CulturalStudies.

Iraitfi in

miction:

Mohhuhhu

of ^the Zion

Christian

Church

Marcus Ramogale &

Sello

Galane

When they dance Mokhukhu, [they]

frequently leap into the air and ^then come down stamping their feet on the ground with their huge white boots

...

in order symbolically to

subjugate evil.

^ m

he ZionChristian

Church

(ZCC), foundedin

I

1924 by

Engenas

Lekganyane, isthe largestof

*

theAfricanindigenous churchesin South Africa.These churches

"combine

Christianitywith

some

elementsoftraditionalAfricanbelief (Joyce 1989:295).

Thus

theyare,inseveral significantways, differentfrom themainstreamChristian churches,brought tothesouth- ernAfrican subcontinentby European missionaries,that adheretoconventional Christian beliefsandpractices.

The ZCC

belongs totheso-calledindependent churches ofSouthAfrica

—

describedasindependent becausethey arenotunder "whitecontrol"

(Lukhaimane

1980:1).

The

Zionistchurchesdidnotbreak

away

directlyfromthe missionestablishment:theiroriginslie,instead, inZion City,Illinois,

where

JohnAlexander

Dowie

(1847-1907) foundedtheChristianCatholicApostolic

Church

in 1896.

The

influenceofhischurchspread toSouth Africain 1904

when

DanielBryantbaptized severalAfricans(see

Lukhaimane

1980:14).

IndependentEthiopian churches, ontheotherhand, havetheirroots inthehistoryofresistancetotheimperial system. Inthethinking of

many White

missionaries,the successofChristianization

depended

onWesternization, andthey intertwinedreligiousconversionwiththe imposi- tionof

new

culturalnorms.This, inevitably, led tothe

phenomenon

of"culturaldeprivation"

among

African converts.

As

aconsequence,inthesecondhalfofthe 19th century

some

convertsattemptedtoprotectandperpetuate certainaspectsofAfricanculture.For example,theriseof

"nativistic"sentiment

prompted

the

Reverend Nehemiah

Tiletobreak

away

fromtheMethodist

Church

in 1884.

The

Ethiopian

movement

in SouthAfricaisoften tracedto thisevent,becausethereafterthe

breakaway

church

move- ment

gained

momentum.

The

separatist

movement was

notjustarejectionof alien cultural values; it

was

also

aimed

atrevitalizingthe African society

which

colonialconquest had rendered ineffectual.According to

some

scholars, the separatist

movement

can beseenas thestruggleoftheAfrican to assert hissignificanceas a

human

being.This significance he

knew

verywellinhis

home

before hisculture

was

dis- ruptedbytheimpactofWesternculture.

He

hadhadto surrenderitinthefaceof

overwhelming

and awe-inspiring

wonders

ofthe

White

man.

He was

then leftwithout pur- pose,andhisdegenerationas a

human

being began.

The

SeparatistChurches restorethis senseofpurpose (Vila- kazi,

Mthethwa,

and

Mpanza

1986:17-18).

Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife 63