Perspectives on African Music

Countering popular racist misconceptions about African music, from the concept of a unified African culture to the idea of African rhythmic superiority, the author reveals through a history of the scholarship how such stereotypes have come about and been perpetuated. Compositional techniques and songs used in the Ewe piece Agbadza are discussed, illustrating critical misunderstandings of Ewe music Orff educators know through Komla Amoaku’s book African Songs and Rhythms for Children, A Selection from Ghana.