Course Info: HACU-0258

CourseHACU-0258 African Popular Music
Long TitleAfrican Popular Music
Term2019S
Note(s) Satisfies Distribution
Textbook information
Meeting InfoMusic and Dance Building 110 on T,TH from 1:00-2:20
FacultyOlabode Omojola
Capacity25
Available18
Waitlist0
Distribution(s) Culture, Humanities, and Languages
Cumulative Skill(s)Multiple Cultural Perspectives
Additional InfoIn this course, students are expected to spend approximately 6 hours weekly on work and preparation outside of class time.
Description

This course focuses on twentieth century African popular music; it examines musical genres from different parts of the continent, investigating their relationships to the historical, political and social dynamics of their respective national and regional origins. Regional examples like highlife, soukous, kwaito and afro-beat will be studied to assess the significance of popular music as a creative response to social and political developments in colonial and postcolonial Africa. The course also discusses the growth of hip-hop music in selected countries by exploring how indigenous cultural tropes have provided the basis for its local adaptation. Themes explored in this course include music and identity; music, politics and resistance; globalization; appropriation, and the political significance of musical nostalgia. Student's final projects for this class could be in form of a live performance or a paper presentation focusing on any genre or aspect of African popular music.