‘High time for a new narrative’

We look back on inJazz Conference 2024 through a number of short articles in which we offer takeaways from the day’s panel talks and presentations. Our partner World Music Forum presented the African Renaissance panel.

Using pictures and album sleeves MC Stan Rijven showed a quick summary of African popular music. “Africa is not a country but a huge continent with many different cultures and music styles. Since colonialism also divided into anglo-, franco- and lusophone Africa”.
Music slang words such as boogie, funk, jam and mojo are from African origine: “Even the word jazz itself derives from the Congolese Ki-kongo language”.
To underline the importance of African popular musics Rijven mentioned Unesco’s recent recognition of Ghanean highlife, Congolese rumba congolaise and Capeverdian morna as immaterial heritage.

Read the entire report on the WMF website.

Photo by Eric van Nieuwland