Wisdom from Africa

I'm taking a course on African American Music, which I honestly wasn't too enthused about until lectures started. It's proving to be a very interesting way to spend my time and I thought I would share a few things that have stood out to me thus far. As a disclaimer, let me say that this does not mean that I think one form of music is better than the other, only that there is much to learn from differing styles and perspectives.

1. African music is a marriage of music, dance and poetry. 
Here are three beautiful art forms happening simultaneously. We have auditory, visual, intellectual (not that the other two aren't intellectual - believe me, I know just how intellectual music performance can be) expression all intertwined, touching all the senses. Music is a physical and intellectual practice and the way that western society has separated these things into neat little categories puzzles me. It seems these things were not separated in scripture.

As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing an dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments. 1 Samuel 18:6

2.  Horrendous things, like slavery, happen slowly, one step at a time.
Contrary to what I remember being taught, African slaves were not just brought to the U.S. from West Africa. In fact, they lived for many years as indentured servants or as free land holding members of early American society. When two white and one black indentured servant ran away before they had served their full, agreed upon time, a court ruled that the white men would serve an additional few years and the black man for the rest of his life. This was the beginning of slavery in the United States. Small scale injustice or treachery can creep in quietly and before long you have something as widespread and insidious as slavery across a country, which also later contributed to something known as the Civil War. (I say contributed, because the Civil War was not primarily about slavery, but we'll save that for another time.) Be judicious in saying something will or can never happen, to do so is usually ignorant and foolish.

3. African music contributes to community in larger, more tangible ways than most western music. 
Much of West African music involves call and response, where the one calling is responsible for leading the rest of the group and constructing the lyrics and dance moves. This alternation between people creates a sense of community- they are not alone in their endeavors, but are part of a collective group with the same aim.