West African Music

West African music is characterized by vibrant and hypnotic tempos. For West African peoples, the role of music is fundamental for communicating with their ancestors, their gods, their loved ones who passed away. In other words, music is a direct mean of entering in contact with the “other world”. For instance, repetitive rhythms and dance are often performed together to enter in a “trance” state. The way rhythms and timbres change and evolve in West African music testify of expressing values and reflect West African peoples’ behaviors in everyday life. The creation of various timbres is a collective and spontaneous practice in West African music. Timbres are present in many everyday actions: ceremonies, rituals, children rhythm songs etc. Timbres are often linked with the figures of musician and storyteller because they convey a collective cultural and historical memory of West African peoples. The instrumental and vocal expressions are two intertwined languages in West African cultures because the main mean is communication. The voice is “an instrument” itself because it allows

The “centrality of the voice” and the use of instruments such as “bow” or “djembe” have also a social function. Both elements that form “calls and responses” represent how West African society is and function regarding their ancestors, important historical facts, celebrations of important achievements that happened a long time ago or recently and the social status of music players and performers. From my understanding, voices and musical instruments seem to be performed in specific contexts in which instruments are selected depending on the purpose of playing music. The social aspects of West African music are as diverse as its communities and, in that way convey many social aspects as well as social