West African Culture : Griots In West Africa

However, although griots were used in the Mali Empire they are also people like the griots who are used in other empires and kingdoms but with a different name. An example would be the dynasties that we have touched on while we talked about the Nile Valley Civilization. I believe this is a time when the job of a griot is probably more important than ever because according to class readings and lectures they were different kings and rulers of dynasties at different times and eras and I believe that is when the job of a griot comes into play because that is when they need to narrate the past to these Rulers to better their experience and the future of the

"They started killing people and eating them ... I saw them cutting up human flesh, then they were putting it on a fire to grill it. I got scared and ran away, not knowing what else happened behind me." a quote from Amuzati N, a Bambuti Pygmy who escaped a massacre by a rebel group in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This was just one of the many atrocities the African Pygmies has experienced in the past. Pygmies are the indigenous people of Africa. For millions of years they lived in the jungles of Congo, where they maintained their unique relationship with nature. But the mid-1970s, the Mobutu government, a government led by Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga who was the President of Republic of the Congo decided that many of the lush Congo forests were National Parks, and the pygmy people were evicted. The eviction wasn’t the genocide itself but it was a large contributor on how it will leave the people vulnerable in the open. The genocide was a mass killing including cannibalism since the local rebel thought that the Pygmy flesh had “magical powers” And also women were raped because it is said if you sleep with a woman it will relieve back pain.

Voodoo is an old religion that finds its roots in west Africa. Remnants of its physical history can be found throughout the West African Coast where major slave trading markets were located. An Example of this are locations contain trees of forgetting in which slaves were “Zombified” by administering herbs to make them more compliant. Today these historical sites draw tourist learning about the horrors of the slave trade Voodoo beliefs originated from African animist religions that predate Islam and Christian influences and were not understood by the European slave owners who forbid its practice. It created a fear in the Europeans and is misunderstood even today. Its travel to the Caribbean, Haiti and America had a lasting impact and is still practiced.

Culture is the characteristics of a group of people defined by language, cuisine, religion social habits music and art. There are many different types of culture including western culture, eastern culture, African culture and many more. Culture is influenced by the groups of people that make up the country (Zimmermann, 2012). The term culture was first used by an English Anthropologist named Edward B. Tyler. It was first mentioned in 1871 in his book named ‘Primitive Culture’. He stated that culture is "that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society”. Since then culture is the main focus of anthropology.

Dance has always been the focal point in which Africans are able to let free through movements of emotion. In this essay I will discuss the history of African Dance and its importance to the African Culture. Also will be discussing the general information of African dance, the different types of African dance and the ones that I like the most. Dance in the African culture is something that cannot be taken advantage of in the African Culture because it holds such a strong meaningful moment at the time of any occasion.

From the 1500s to the 1700s, African blacks, mainly from the area of West Africa (today's Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Dahomey, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Gabon) were shipped as slaves to North America, Brazil, and the West Indies. For them, local and tribal differences, and even varying cultural backgrounds, soon melded into one common concern for the suffering they all endured. Music, songs, and dances as well as remembered traditional food, helped not only to uplift them but also quite unintentionally added immeasurably to the culture around them. In the approximately 300 years that blacks have made their homes in North America, the West Indies, and Brazil, their highly honed art

For as long as mankind has walked on this earth, music has been an important part of our culture and lifestyles. Each walk of life beats to a different drum. Different cultures use music for many aspects of their lives; for religious purposes, for celebrations, for comfort, for sorrow, for relaxation, for sports, for dances, for energy, for learning, for sleeping, and for sexual experiences. Everyone uses music for something. Music connects with people and reaches them in ways that words simply cannot. Music is a representation of what feelings sound like. It expresses emotion and brings that characteristic out from within us; it tells us a story. Every generation has its’ own sound and different music styles have emerged and become

Topic Sentence 1: African Americans were able to create and preserve a distinctive music culture that helped to showcase their culture in a white dominated society.

During the age of cross-cultural interactions, regions went through similar changes and continuities. These regions allowed consistent causes and effects to emerge and change their societies. These changes and continuities are evident in the regional societies located within Sub-Saharan Africa and the Americas. In Sub-Saharan Africa and the Americas from 600 to 1450 CE, opportunities for women changed, however religion and labor continued to influence society.

In Africa, music isn’t just something they see as having fun, it has become something greater. Africans use music in their everyday lives. It has become a social event, where African community’s come together and accompany songs with cultural beliefs, traditions, rituals, festivals and “recreation after a day’s hard work”(Bame, 7). For instance, in some communities it is believed farmers are able to heal people while dancing. Other’s dance to honor the death of a person, and find their soulmates.

Consider how Africa’s geography has changed over time. What positive and negative effects would these changes have had on human populations on the continent? As their new homes changed they were able to adapt due to their innovative mindset. This can be attributed to the new found organization thanks to language. Allowing Africans to grow and expand throughout the entire continent. Other factors that can be attributed are the change in geography for some parts such as the Sahara drying out and swamps and lakes disappeared.

When reflecting back on my journey with West African Dance, I can honestly say it has been one of my highlights of my first semester. When I first signed up for this course, I had no clue what to expect on the first day. All I knew is that I wanted to explore my artistic side seeing that I have never taken a class that involves any type of art. Nevertheless, I always have loved to dance for fun, and I figured I should try something I am already reasonably comfortable with. I knew West African Dance was all about fluidity and individuality compared to that if Ballet or Ballroom dance, so I decided it would be best for me to try the course. After the first day of the class, I learned that while the dancing may not be as rigid as that of Western dances, this style of dancing is no easier, and possibly harder. Even though I knew West African

In this course we have learned about all of the different cultures and their musical traditions. My favorite so far has had to be the west African music culture. They have a variety of different music, instruments, and dances to contribute to the reasons I liked this music culture so much. So, I have taken it upon myself to further my research on this particular musical group. I will compare and contrast a variety of different videos from the west African music culture and I will analyze how they connect to this culture.

Scholars have attempted to define music, and to be quite honest, it will be a huge challenge to try to weave a definition around the art that is music, because it is beyond definition. However, for the purposes of this work, we shall adopt the definition by Aluede & Eregare (2009), not because the definition is, in itself, complete, but because it captures the very essence of what we look for in the definition of music. Music, according to Aluede & Aregare (2009), is not only an organization of sound but also a symbolic expression of a social and cultural organization, which reflects the values, past and present ways of life of human beings. Also, Jones (1975), cited in Amana and Onogu (2015), defines music as “a language which encodes emotions, aspirations and people’s goals in autonomous and self-expressive arts forms.” These definitions are important in understanding music, because they highlight the fact that music does not only appeal to the feel-good emotion, it is not only used for entertainment; it is a valid form of social expression and this underscores the centrality of music in African socio-cultural life.

     Before one starts to outline the traditional religion in Africa, one must first explain the way Africa is as a whole. Without the knowledge of the past combined with knowledge of culture, one would have a very vague, if any, understanding of traditional religion.