Racial Predjudice in African drum and dance

[AoxoA]

..... i have witnessed my fair share of the "expression" of african culture through a white person's view point. i must say that it is sometimes painful to watch. they tend to think a lot when they play drums and lose the ability to truly express and communicate with a crowd with the drum. and when i see white women doing the african dancing, i am happy to see their interest and effort. but, again, the "expression" of the dance through the white woman's body is painful. i can always see/feel her trying to remember her steps, rather than listening to the drum and letting it show her of how each step can be expressed. i also find it interesting when white people try to own aspects of african culture after they visit a djembefola in africa, watch a couple of shows, come home. i can assure you that the masters show their students only a small morsel of what actually exists. i cannot count the number of times i have attended "african drumming/dance" shows produced by white people where i felt bored 10 minutes in. there is often a lack of connection to the audience of crowd of people standing around. and the dancers look like blocks of wood that are always somehow chasing the rhythm rather than truly harmonizing or conversing with it through the dance. that being said, i still think every person has the right to enjoy any aspect of any thing that exists on the planet earth.

Funny thing is, I have seen this in reverse where the African-Americans are painful to watch---going through the exact same thing you described for whites. So, it seems race doesn't have much to do with it.

[michi]

Black children need strong, positive black role models (especially men). So, while you may be a great musician, you might not be right for the job.

All children need strong positive role models and it should not matter what color the role model is.

Lets say i reverse what you said and tell me if it is absolutely racist: Black people should not teach white children German history. White children need strong, positive white role models. So, while a black person may be a great historian (specializing in Germany), they might not be right for the job.

I hear you, and I think a case can be made for either point of view. For example, should German children be taught history by a jew? Some would argue that this would be a most excellent idea indeed. Others would argue that this would be completely inappropriate for a variety of reasons.

Here in Australia, the closest thing we have to the Afro-American debate is the aboriginal debate. Australia has committed crimes against aborigines at about the same level of magnitude as what Americans did to blacks in the US. (The word "genocide" has been used in the United Nations regarding the treatment of aborigines.)

Now, what would it feel like to an aboriginal person to see their children taught didgeridoo by a white person? Somehow, the picture strikes me as wrong, no matter how skilled the didge player might be (and there are some truly excellent white didgeridoo players). The point is that, if we only talk about musical skill, the skin color of the teacher should indeed not matter. But there is a larger cultural context that remains inseparable from the instrument and the music, especially for something with as significant a history as the didgeridoo, and its huge importance for aboriginal spiritual life, history, and culture.

So, I have some sympathy for Afro-Americans rejecting white djembe players as teachers of Afro-Americans because I can see some of the same cultural context there. It saddens me that such divisions still exist. But then, the magnitude of the crimes committed in the past is so huge that it is probably unreasonable to expect any and all prejudice to have disappeared by now.

Cheers,

Michi.

[e2c]

michi - it would be the same here if white people were to presume to teach Native Americans their own musical instruments, songs, dances, etc. (Unless they were "white" people with some provable degree of Native heritage.)

I think the situation with NA people is actually closer to what you've got in Aus, but I may well be wrong about that.

However... I am *sure* that there are situations in which African Americans would not mind someone white teaching their children djembe and dunun, because I have seen it with my own eyes.

However - this happened in a small college town. In an urban area, this would probably not fly - and for good reason.

I think there are a lot of factors to take into account, and that some situations that would work fine in one place would not be OK in another.

Thus, we've all got to be sensitive to the needs of others... though honestly, my encounters with younger (college-age) African Americans involved in drum and dance makes me think that things are indeed changing. I wish the pace was faster, but... these things take time. (And there are many factors involved, too.)

[Waraba]

..... i have witnessed my fair share of the "expression" of african culture through a white person's view point. i must say that it is sometimes painful to watch. they tend to think a lot when they play drums and lose the ability to truly express and communicate with a crowd with the drum. and when i see white women doing the african dancing, i am happy to see their interest and effort. but, again, the "expression" of the dance through the white woman's body is painful. i can always see/feel her trying to remember her steps, rather than listening to the drum and letting it show her of how each step can be expressed. i also find it interesting when white people try to own aspects of african culture after they visit a djembefola in africa, watch a couple of shows, come home. i can assure you that the masters show their students only a small morsel of what actually exists. i cannot count the number of times i have attended "african drumming/dance" shows produced by white people where i felt bored 10 minutes in. there is often a lack of connection to the audience of crowd of people standing around. and the dancers look like blocks of wood that are always somehow chasing the rhythm rather than truly harmonizing or conversing with it through the dance. that being said, i still think every person has the right to enjoy any aspect of any thing that exists on the planet earth.

Funny thing is, I have seen this in reverse where the African-Americans are painful to watch---going through the exact same thing you described for whites. So, it seems race doesn't have much to do with it.

It's fine and expected to critique a dance performance based on how bored it made you feel. But I point out to Bamabrasiliera that attributing such performance to race is, in fact, racist, and speaking in such a way promotes the very type of thinking that keeps racism alive and well. If I am misunderstanding you please correct me now.

[FreekAce]

also how does one "own" aspects of African culture?

to me someone is either part of a culture or not. people can be inspired by a culture, learn about it even try and emulate it, but i'm not sure what owning a culture means.

[bamabrasiliera]

wow! i've been gone for a while, but i'm happy to see that the moderators chose to allow the dialogue to continue, even if makes people a bit uncomfortable at times to hear the true subjective experiences of others! this is how growth, change, and (hopefully) understanding come about!

[Mikeleza]

I can't help but feel a little uneasy at the idea of people saying that a white person cannot teach a black person djembe or that a white Australian could not teach an Aboriginal a didgeridoo.

It takes a person a lot of courage and love for a culture to develop their understanding of that instrument and music.... Even more courage to begin to teach people that originate from the very culture that the music is derived from.

Who are we to judge whether that is right or wrong? It is each individual's choice... If an Aboriginal child wanted to learn didgeridoo from a white fella, who are we to say that is wrong?

I applaud anyone has taken the effort to learn and integrate their lives into another culture not native to their own. Accepting people regardless of colour of skin is what fighting racism is all about.
If an Aboriginal child can see that not all white Australians take no interest in their culture, this is surely a very positive thing for the reduction of racial tension.

... Any way... On slightly separate issue but relatively important to put things in perspective.... To the large majority of Australian Aborigines, the didgeridoo has nothing to do with their heritage because the "Yadaki" as it is traditionally called, only comes from an isolated group of people in the North.

I personally (white man.. ) have taught many black people of to drum. I've never noticed any rhythmic advantages in them being black but often I have noticed that black people who grew up in musical cultures such as Reunion Island for example, do have a seemingly more natural ability.... but... White people from Reunion Island also have the same advantage. So a natural ability in the arts is not racially exclusive, it seems more so to be "regionally" exclusive!

The reason you find a lot of white people struggling to feel the groove in African dance classes is because a lot of them have come from places like little old Perth in South West Australia, where most people are too self conscious to dance, mum always tells you off for tapping on the table and dad tells their son to stop acting like girl if they sing high notes or wiggle their hips at all.

In Brazil it is a completely normal for parents to show their children how to sway their hips from as young as 3 years old. It is encouraged whether male or female to be free in the hips. No wonder most of them can dance samba all night and move with such elegance! Again... This ability seems to be regionally exclusive to Brazil and not so much racially exclusive.

If a black Brazilian came to me and said they wanted to learn to play samba (and it does happen!)... How silly would it seem to say "No sorry, I can't do that because it's just wrong"... They want to learn... So teach? ... yes PROUDLY I WILL!

There are always more than one truth to any debate, it's just a matter of choosing which is the most appropriate truth to achieve some positive change our world.

Mike

[Afoba]

very nice post, Mike!