114 AFRICAN MUSIC SOCIETY JOURNAL
NOTES AND NEWS
A N N U A L M E E T IN G O F T H E S O C I E T Y F O R E T H N O M U S IC O L O G Y
W e h ad th re e d a y s o f v e r y in te r e s tin g m e e tin g s a n d th e re w e re s e v e ra l p ap ers th a t I n o te w o u ld b e o f in te re s t to A fric a n ists : “ S o m e S p e c u la tio n s o n a D ru m C h im e T r a d itio n in B u g a n d a ” , b y K la u s W a c h sm a n n ; “ M u s ic a l In stru m e n ts o f M a d a g a s c a r ” , b y N o rm a M c L e o d ; “ U b a k a la D a n c e: A S p e c ia l F e s tiv a l” , b y J u d it h L y n n e H a n n a ; “ T h e M u s ic a l I n stru m e n ts o f E q u a to ria , S u d a n ” , b y R o x a n n e M c C o lle ste r.
O n e a fte rn o o n w a s s p e n t in an in te r e s tin g s y m p o s iu m : M u s ic , D a n c e a n d A n th r o p o lo g y : T e n Y e a rs o f C o -o p e ra tio n , a n d w e p aid v isits to tw o n o ta b le c o lle c tio n s o f m u s ic a l in s tr u m e n ts , T h e S te a rn s C o lle c tio n a t th e U n iv e rs ity o f M ic h ig a n a n d th e F re em a n C o lle c tio n , a p riv a te o n e , in D e tro it.
O th e r p ap ers p re s e n te d at th e M e e tin g s ra n g e d fro m O c ea n ia to th e A m e ric a n In d ia n s in th e ir s u b je c t m a tte r, b u t th e n u m b e r o f p ap ers o n A fric a n m u s ic a n d d a n c e in d ic a te s th e h ig h d e g r e e o f in te re s t in th a t o a rt o f th e w o r ld as s h o w n b y th e re se a rc h o f m e m b e rs o f th e S o c ie ty .
D a v id M c A lle s tc r.
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T R O P I C A L A F R IC A N S T U D IE S
T h e I n te rn a tio n a l A fric a n I n s titu te in c o n ju n c tio n w it h th e U n iv e r s ity o f Ib a d a n , h e ld a C o n fere n c e o n T ro p ic a l A fric a n S tu d ie s , fro m th e 5th to th e 11th A p r il, 1964. O n e s ec tio n o f th is C o n fere n c e w a s d e v o te d to th e A r ts in A fric a n S tu d ie s , a n d th e fo llo w in g re p o rt is ta k e n fro m th e ir p u b lis h e d re p o rt o n th e C o n fere n c e in V o lu m e 3 5 , N o . 1, o f
Africa,
fo r J a n u a r y , 1965.T h e su b je c ts u n d e r d is c u s sio n w e re th e s co p e a n d d e v e lo p m e n t o f s tu d ie s in th e v is u a l a rts, m u s ic a n d lite r a tu r e ; th e ir re la tio n to o th e r field s in A fric a n s tu d ie s a n d fu rth e r n eed s in re se a rc h a n d te a c h in g . T h e C h a irm a n : M . A . D io p , R a p p o rte u r: M r. A . D ra y to n , O p e n in g S p e a k e rs: P ro f. J . H . N k c tia , P ro f.
A . M e r r ia m , M r. D . W illia m s .
In h is c o n trib u d o n to th e d is c u s s io n , P ro f. J . H . N k e tia s ta te d th a t: “ T h is w a s a tim e o f s ty lis tic o r id io m a tic c h a n g e , w ith b o th tr a d itio n a l a n d c o n te m p o r a ry fo rm s o f a r tis tic e x p re s s io n c o e x is tin g . S tu d y o f th e ir in te r a c d o n s h o u ld p a r d c u la r ly in te re s t s tu d e n ts o f c u ltu r e c h a n g e . B u t a p r e -re q u is ite fo r th is w a s th e s y s te m a tic co lle c tio n a n d s tu d y o f th e tr a d itio n a l fo rm s th e m s e lv e s a n d , as th e se w e re c lo s e ly in te g r a te d writh s o c ia l life , b o th a r d s tic a n d o th e r c u ltu r a l fa c to rs h ad to b e c o n s id e re d . T ra d itio n a l a r tis ts h ad b een a n d w e re co n c e rn e d w ith A fric a n life fro m at le a st th re e a n g le s : th r o u g h th e v is u a l a r ts ; o ra l lite r a tu r e ; a n d d a n c e, d ra m a , a n d m u s ic . H e n c e th e s tu d e n t o f th e a rts in A fric a w a s c lo s e ly co n ce rn e d w it h th e w a y o f life th a t fo u n d e x p re s s io n in th e o b je c ts o f h is s tu d y .
P ro b le m s o f m e a n in g , sig n ific a n c e , a n d v a lu e h ad to b e s tu d ie d , s in c e th e tr a d itio n a l a r tis ts w e r e also co n c e rn e d w ith th e m e a n in g a n d s ig n ific a n c e o f e v e n ts , th e e x p re s s io n o f p h ilo s o p h ic a l id e a s , co n cep ts o f d iv in id e s , a n d th e ir a w a re n e s s o f s o c ia l a n d m o ra l v a lu e s.
S in c e o cca sio n s a n d o b je c ts o f a lm o s t a n y k in d c o u ld p r o v id e a v e n u e s fo r a r d s tic e x p re s s io n , the a rts w e r e lin k e d w ith a ll in s titu tio n a l a s p e c ts o f c u ltu r e . V a lu e s a n d id e a s affected th e a r ts ju s t a s th e y affected o th e r a sp e cts o f c u ltu r e . H e n c e th e im p o rta n c e o f c o m p le m e n ta ry a p p ro a c h e s to th e ir s tu d y . E v e n th e A fric a n s c h o la r w h o h ad n o t lo st to u c h w ith h is o w n s o c ie ty s h o u ld r e ly o n m o re th a n h is o w n b a c k g ro u n d o f e x p e rie n c e to a c h ie v e u n d e r s ta n d in g o f th e c u ltu r a l m a trix . T h is d ep e n d e n c e o n re le v a n t d is c ip lin e s w a s an in d ic a tio n o f th e b re a d th o f t r a in in g a n d o rie n ta tio n n eed e d b y th e s tu d e n t o f A frican a rts a n d th e k in d o f c o lla b o ra tio n h e s h o u ld see k fro m o th e r s c h o la rs.
In e m p h a s iz in g th e im p o rta n c e o f th e “ c u ltu r a l m a tr ix ” a n d th e c o n tr ib u d o n th a t a n th ro p o lo g y c o u ld a n d d id m a k e to s tu d ie s in th e a r ts , h e w a s n o t s u g g e s d n g th a t th e s tu d y o f m u s ic , a r t, lite ra tu re ; d a n c e , a n d d ra m a in A fric a s h o u ld b e co n fin ed w ith in d e p a rtm e n ts o f A n th r o p o lo g y a n d A rc h a e o lo g y . N o r w a s h e m in im iz in g th e im p o rta n c e o f fo rm a l s ty lis u c s tu d ie s th r o u g h w h ic h s p e c ia liz e d sch o lars m a d e th e ir o w n c o n trib u tio n . T h e re w a s a p la c e fo r c o m p a ra tiv e s tu d ie s as w e ll as fo r s y s te m a tic stu d y o f re g io n a l o r lo c a l s ty le s . T h e re w a s a ls o a p la c e in m u s ic a l s tu d ie s , fo r e x a m p le , fo r th e c o m p a ra d v c s tu d y o f A fric a n a n d n o n -A fric a n fo rm s. B u t s ty lis t ic s tu d ie s s h o u ld n o t be c a rrie d o u t in a v a c u u m . T h e y s h o u ld b e re la te d to th e c u ltu r a l ex p e rie n c e s o f th o se a s so c ia te d w ith th e s ty le s . It w a s e q u a lly n e c e s sa ry fo r th e te a c h in g o f th e a rts n o t to b e to o r ig id ly d e p a rtm e n ta liz e d . T h e tra d itio n a l a rts o f A fric a h ad b een p ra c tis e d as in te r r e la te d o r in te rd e p e n d e n t fo rm s, a n d th is in te rd e p e n d e n c e s h o u ld be re fle cted in re se a rch a n d te a c h in g . T h e c o lla b o ra tio n w h ic h th is p re -s u p p o se d w a s e a s ie r o f a c h ie v e m e n t w ith in an in s titu te o r a s c h o o l.
H e w is h e d a lso to stre ss th e im p o rta n c e in u n iv e r s itie s o f th e a rts o f A fric a as p r a c tic a l, cre a tiv e su b je c ts.
N o t o n ly th e o ry b u t a ls o p ra c tic e w a s n e e d e d ; n o t o n ly m u s ic o lo g is ts w h o w o u ld c o lle c t, a n a ly s e , and w r it e a b o u t A fric a n m u s ic , b u t a ls o p e rfo rm e rs w ith th e o re tic a l u n d e r s ta n d in g , co m p o se rs a n d teachers o f A fric a n m u s ic ; n o t o n ly s c h o la r ly b o o k s a n d a rtic le s c o n tr ib u tin g to m u s ic o lo g ic a l k n o w le d g e but a ls o s u ita b le m u s ic in an A fric a n id io m fo r p e rfo rm a n c e as w e ll as te x tb o o k s o n th e m u s ic o f A fric a for a ll le v e ls o f m u s ic e d u c a tio n , in c lu d in g m u s ic a l t r a in in g a t th e u n iv e r s it y le v e l. S im ila r ly tex ts o f tra d i
tio n a l lite r a tu r e w e r e n e e d e d fo r c o u rse s a t A fric a n u n iv e r s itie s , as w e ll as s o u n d -re c o rd in g s , film s o f d an c es, ce re m o n ie s , a n d ritu a ls th a t c o u ld b e u se d in te a c h in g p ro g ra m m e s o r in c r e a tiv e a n d p ro d u ctio n p ro g ra m m e s b y c o m p o se rs , w r ite r s , d ra m a tis ts , a n d c h o re o g ra p h e rs .
