African Composers — some of them.

Hello all 👋

For anyone who is keen on the topic of African Composers, the resources below will prove useful.

1. A map of the names (mainly their first names) of some African Composers.

Recognise any of them? Or their Works?

Figure 1. Map of First names of some African Composers

2. African Composers logo.

(Look out for it on different online platforms.😄)

Figure 2. “A” #AfricanComposers logo

3. A Quick Survey.

In 2019, I conducted a quick (approximately 11 hours long) survey. The results are shown in this chart.

Internet searches for the expression “African Composers” do not show similar results. MOST of the composers chosen by the respondents to this survey do not appear in online articles that “inform” about African Composers. That eclipses their names, their works and their contributions from wider conversation. Interested in finding out more about Africa’s Composers? Sidestep the eclipse, visit www.AfricanComposers.com to find out more

Figure 3. The result of a very quick survey on the question “Who is your favourite African Composer?”

The responses to this very quick survey highlight the fact that

• more needs to be done to avoid a vacuum being created and
• anyone who is interested in certain topics — for example “African Composers” should challenge what they see online: challenge the viewpoint, challenge the assertions, challenge the authenticity, challenge the authority, challenge the “lived experience” — or absence of — and the potentially overgeneralised assertions, and ask more.

Thank you.

Resources:

1. The African Composers website
2. The African Composers YouTube Channel