The Growth And Changes In African Music || Afri-Inleo Initiative Week 26

Image

In Africa, music is something that we love so much. It's not just something we do or listen to, music is who we are. It is something that provides comfort whenever we are sad, unhappy, or feeling anxious. Here in Africa, music is our favorite source of entertainment. It has always been enjoyed and used in celebrations, ceremonies, and rituals. African music brings people from different places or societies together. It can also be used to tell stories, promote unity, and worship our God.

Over time, African music has really changed, grown, and developed. Due to some beautiful improvements in technology, musical instruments, and social engagement with other countries, these have made African music experience a lot of growth and become popular worldwide. Today, African music is enjoyed not only in Africa but also all around the world. If you look around the world, there is no place or country where African music is not heard.

Since my childhood, I have always loved listening to African music. Back then, African music was mostly produced with traditional instruments such as drums, bells (agogo), and rattles (shekere). As a result of that, our musical genres were not that much, we have something like fuji, Apala, Highlife, Agidigbo, and Sakara. But nowadays, with the incorporation of new musical instruments like the guitar, piano, and keyboard, African music has become faster, with more vibes, good sounds, and beautiful beats. As a result of using both traditional instruments like drums, djembe, and agogo alongside the new instruments, African music now has many more genres, such as R&B, Hip Hop, Rap, Afrobeat, Highlife, Afro Pop, and so on. This has made African music more fun and interesting to listen to all over the world.

Aside from that, as a result of the development of new musical instruments, the African music industry now has several new jobs, which include sound designers, DJs, beatmakers, synthesists, instrument repair technicians, controllerists, music education and instrumentalists. These jobs have really helped in developing African music and also reducing the rate of unemployment in Africa. The more Africa incorporates new instruments into its music, the more popular the music becomes, and the more people all around the world love and listen to it. This has also helped in increasing the rate at which African artists sing in collaboration with international stars. A beautiful example, is Call Me Everyday song by Chris Brown (An American singer) featuring Wizkid (from Nigeria) in the year 2022.

Another factor that has really helped African music grow and develop is technology. Due to advances in technology, musicians are now able to produce and record their music with ease. With the help of technology, musicians can now produce music with high-quality sound and videos. In fact, due to the rise of social media platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook, African music is now widely spread and heard all around the world. Technology has truly helped African musicians to promote their music with ease and also to connect them directly with their fans all around the universe.

Thanks for your time on my blog.

Posted Using InLeo Alpha