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Emblems of the African Musical Postcolony: Music and the Interrogation of Power in Africa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 November 2025

BODE OMOJOLA
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Abstract

The power of African music to critically engage with new experiences is demonstrated in its ongoing responsiveness to the historical and power dynamics of colonialism. The overlaps between precolonial, colonial, and post-colonial periods in terms of the social and political experiences that define them provide the context for my analysis of what I call the African musical postcolony. By linking musical form, styles, and biographies to social and political developments, I show how the complex and overlapping relationships between the different phases of African history are reflected in the ways in which African musicians engage with issues of power and the politics of difference.

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Type
Research Article
Information
Yearbook for Traditional Music , Volume 56 , Issue 2 , December 2024 , pp. 139 - 158
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the International Council for Traditions of Music and Dance

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