Our Music

You will agree with me that rhythm is natural in Africans. We start singing at a very young age; whether you sing alto, or base or even off tune(like my friend does all the time)! you just sing. I don't remember any game that we played as children that didn't have a song in it. Be it hide-and -seek, skipping rope, playing ball...you name it, they all had songs to accompany with. As a woman cooks,washes dishes or soothes her baby to sleep,you will hear her sing. As a man cleans his bicycle, you will hear him whistle or hum some type of song. We are just naturally musical!

Most African songs were never written and the composers are not known, but the songs last generations. They are passed down orally from one generation to the other. Don't be surprised that the song you are singing has been around for ten generations! When we say 'sing', we actually mean singing, dancing and playing instruments. We use different locally made instruments producing amazing sounds and each nation in Africa has beautiful songs and dances.

When do we sing, one may ask...well, we sing when we are happy, we sing when we are crying, we sing when we are grateful, we sing when praying...basically, we sing in every situation! Different songs hold meaning for different occasions. For instance Zaffa music is played in Egyptian weddings and Mang'oma dance is performed in southern Tanzania during the harvest season.
Our music is extraordinarily special. The instruments used; carefully stringed and curved from our very own wood, The dancing moves that are danced uniformly through out, the ululating sounds made by our mothers and the bases sang by our men! You'v got to love our music...You'v got to love Africa.

(You can listen to some incredible African songs on the purple music bar at the top of the page)

"If we stand tall it is because we stand on the backs of those who came before us"

-African proverb