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Postcolonial Cosmopolitan Music in Dar es Salaam: Dr. Remmy Ongala and the Traveling Sounds

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 October 2013

Abstract:

This article concerns Dr. Remmy Ongala, a Congolese-Tanzanian musician, and the making of postcolonial cosmopolitan music in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It argues that Dr. Remmy's music is shaped by the postcolonial consciousness and conditions of contemporary Tanzania. It also shows Dr. Remmy's cosmopolitan citizenship in his songs that address political and social issues. Focusing on his involvement in worldbeat festivals, it argues that he, like other musicians, enters into the worldbeat system not as a fully autonomous individual but as a constituted postcolonial subject, compelled to shape his music in accordance with the demands of the worldbeat system.

Résumé:

Résumé:

Get article a pour sujet Dr Remmy Ongala, un musicien congolais-tanzanien, et la musique cosmopolite postcoloniale à Dar es Salaam, en Tanzanie. Nous soutenons que la musique de Dr. Remmy est influencée par la conscience postcoloniale et les conditions de vie de la Tanzanie contemporaine. Il montre également l'influence de la citoyenneté cosmopolite de Dr. Remmy dans ses chansons qui traitent de questions sociales et politiques. En nous concentrant sur son engagement dans les festivals Worldbeat, nous soutenons que Dr. Remmy, ainsi que d'autres musiciens, entre dans le réseau Worldbeat non en tant qu'individu autonome, mais en tant que sujet postcolonial établi, désireux ainsi de façonner sa musique en accord avec les tendances de la musique Worldbeat.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © African Studies Association 2010

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