African Musicology Online

Contemporary Ideas in African Art Music Composition: An Exploration of the Vocal and Instrumental Works of Seun Owoaje

Kadupe Sofola — 2025-06-18

African art music continues to evolve through the contributions of contemporary composers who build on the legacies of their progenitors. Despite its growth, there has been a gap in the literature regarding its contemporary appeal, especially with respect to the works of modern African art music composers. Anchored on postcolonial theory, this study investigates the contemporary ideas shaping African art music composition by exploring the works of Seun Owoaje, a Nigerian composer known for his innovative integration of African musical idioms with Western structures. It aims to identify stylistic elements, thematic concerns, and compositional techniques employed by Seun Owoaje in his vocal and instrumental works. Adopting a qualitative design, data were sourced through in-depth oral interviews with the composer, coupled with analysis of his selected compositions. Seun Owoaje's music is informed by open-mindedness, creative ethnomusicology, social commentary, and inspiration from non-musical experiences. His works exhibit a deliberate blending of diverse musical traditions, reflect Yoruba cultural values, and offer philosophical insight on contemporary social issues through music commentary. The study contributes to the understanding of African art music as a platform for cultural reclamation and modern artistic expression, while providing valuable insights to teachers of music composition regarding blending innovative thinking with musical devices in the training of African art music composers. Research-based compositions should also be encouraged to blend indigenous elements with formal music training to ensure authenticity and innovation.

Epistemics of African Music Performance: Navigating Knowledge, Tradition, and the Digital Frontier

Amon Kipyegon Kirui — 2025-06-24

African music traditions are profound epistemic systems, embodying knowledge, history, and spirituality. This paper explores the rich epistemologies inherent in these traditions and examines the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their study and preservation. It critiques the pervasive epistemic bias in current AI technologies, advocating for culturally attuned systems developed through ethical community engagement, co-design, and culturally informed data collection. The paper presents case studies that illustrate how AI, when developed with bias mitigation strategies, can provide insightful analysis and support for diverse musical forms. Furthermore, it addresses the ethical considerations surrounding data sovereignty, informed consent, and equitable benefit sharing. Finally, the paper envisions the future of African music epistemology in the digital age, highlighting both the potential for AI to enrich musical landscapes and the critical challenges posed by digital divides, algorithmic bias, and cultural exploitation. The call is for an African-led approach to AI development that champions innovation, upholds cultural integrity, and ensures epistemic justice.

Education and Practice of the Creative Arts in the Age of Digital Technology

Tolu Owoaje — 2025-07-03

“The creative arts” describes a wide range of arts in the humanities, comprising music, fine arts, and theatre arts, all of which deal with human creativity from various psycho-motor activities. The practice and teaching of the creative arts in the pre-digital era entail the use of analogies in the representation of reality and was characterised by the use of dedicated information storage and reproduction media. Hence, creative art education largely relied on teacher demonstrations within traditional classroom settings. The digital revolution, however, has provided alternative media in which the representation of real-life events now relies on successive dichotomy based on binary numbers to represent reality. This presents a more efficient and reliable representation that enables any form of data to be stored and reproduced using a single multimedia platform. Using Everett Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation theory, this paper undertakes a critical exploration of the education and practice of the creative arts in the age of digital technology. It engages a discourse of educational practices in the creative arts in the pre-digital age, examining the effects of the digital revolution on creative arts education, with a particular focus on music. In the creative arts, digital technology has provided tools with which artists can easily produce and express their creativity. In music especially, digital technology has impacted composition, performance, recording, distribution, analysis, and criticism. There is a need for music educators to engage students in the use of digital tools to boost productivity, especially those that relate to their areas of specialisation, to maintain their relevance in the labour market, especially as music-making and performance have become volatile. Although there are ethical concerns surrounding the use of digital tools, music educators should devise ways by which students can personalise their use in such ways that they do not lose their ability to think critically.

Beyond Gaudeamus Igitur: Decolonising South African Graduation Ceremonies

Madimabe Geoff Mapaya — 2025-07-05

In South Africa, decolonisation efforts, exemplified by the #RhodesMustFall movement, have gained significant momentum. This article investigates the persistent challenge of decolonisation within academia, using the continued performance of Gaudeamus Igitur at African graduation ceremonies as a case study. Through observations, interviews, and Document Analysis, this study explores why some universities, particularly historically Black institutions, maintain this tradition. The analysis reveals a complex interplay of factors, including cultural identity politics, cultural representation, and institutional inertia that impede the full embrace of decoloniality. The conclusion may offer insights to inform policies and practices promoting the expression of diverse African identities in academic rituals.

From Roots to Reinvention: Evolutionary Trends in the Fuji Music of Wasiu Ayinde

Tolu Owoaje — 2025-07-05

Fújì music, originally a socio-religious Islamic genre among the Yoruba of south-western Nigeria, has undergone significant transformation since it emerged from wéré performance traditions. While early innovations by pioneers like Alhaji Síkírù Àyìndé Barrister and Kollington Ayinla laid the groundwork, contemporary developments led by artistes like Wasiu Àyìndé (K1 De Ultimate) have introduced diverse musical, linguistic, and stylistic elements that signify a dynamic shift. This paper investigates the evolutionary trends in Àyìndé’s fújì music, focusing on his integration of Western instruments, adaptation of multiple musical styles, bridging of religious gap, and strategic use of language to broaden his appeal. Grounded in the theory of cultural dynamism, the study conducts a content analysis of thirteen albums released between 1983 and 2020, uncovering trends of continuity and innovation. It reveals how Àyìndé has managed to retain core traditional elements while responding to changing musical tastes and audience expectations. His fusion of Yorùbá percussion with instruments like the saxophone, guitar, and keyboard, along with his latest collaborations with pop musicians, marks a significant phase in the genre’s development. This study contributes to musicological discourse on musical hybridity and expands scholarly understanding of how indigenous music traditions adapt and thrive in contemporary contexts. Creating archives of live performances and studio recordings and integrating the work of innovators like Àyìndé into academic curricula, especially through ensembles, is essential for preserving the dynamic legacy of Nigerian Indigenous music and understanding its place in contemporary popular culture.

Exploring Midlands’ Gweru-brood Music Artists and Music Producers’ pursuits of career success in Harare

Khulekani Face Moyo — 2025-07-09

The study looked at the quest for career success among music artists and music producers who were groomed in the Midlands Province. The study explored the motivation behind the selected music artists and music producers’ departure from Gweru to ply their trade in the Zimbabwe capital city Harare. Purposively selected artists and music producers from the Midlands Province were included in this study. We employed a qualitative research method with semi-structured interviews to solicit data from participants. A total of six participants, two music producers and four music artists tutored in the Midlands Province and relocated to Harare were sampled purposively. The resource dependence and social capital theories were used to guide analysis of data. The study reveals that in Harare there are more opportunities and chances for music artists and music producers’ growth and development. Participants submitted that in the Midlands Province, there is a lack of financial support, exposure, resource hubs and a vibrant arts society. Harare proffers an enabling ecosystem to music artists and music producers who work hard. The national televisions, radio stations and print media in Harare provide a positive environment to those in Harare, much to the disadvantage of the Midlands Province. The strong networks in both social media and mainstream media mostly benefit Harare dwellers. We thus recommend the establishment of more physical and digital networks across the Midlands Province to promote music artists, foster interaction, collaboration, enhance career success and visibility for the arts community beyond provincial and national boundaries.

The Uptake of Chromatic Marimbas by Learning Institutions in Zimbabwe

Gideon Masamba — 2025-08-17

The Zimbabwe marimba has become a popular school musical instrument since it was designed at Kwanongoma College of Music in the early 1960s. Two types of marimbas played in Zimbabwe are diatonic and chromatic marimbas. Most of the scholars who researched the Zimbabwe marimba focused more on diatonic marimbas, and this study draws attention to the adoption of chromatic marimbas in learning institutions in Zimbabwe. The purpose of this article was to examine the uptake of chromatic marimbas in primary and secondary schools, colleges, and universities in Zimbabwe. This study explores the advantages marimba players get when performing on chromatic marimbas, while highlighting the limitations of diatonic marimbas. The researchers used qualitative research methods to carry out this study, targeting learning institutions that offer music as a subject and marimbas as part of their practical performance curriculum. Interviews, document analysis, and participant observation were used as the data collection methods. Findings study show that the uptake of chromatic marimbas in Zimbabwean learning institutions is still very low, with most music departments still using the diatonic marimba sets. The researchers advocate that tertiary institutions equip trainee teachers and music specialist students with knowledge and skills to play chromatic marimbas, as this will enable them to disseminate these skills to their students after training. Chromatic marimba builders are encouraged to promote their sets by offering them to learning institutions at affordable prices for small profit margins that wield potential to attract more patronage.