The Language of African Music
Introduction
The often-overlooked, rich diversity of African languages resounds strongly in the music traditions of West Africa. Even Africans’ casual use of language often features snippets of poetic performance with a high degree of importance given to the art of conversation including proverbs, cultural values, allegorical references and more. The Language of African Music project archives diverse musical traditions to document musicians’ use of language during performances. Selected video clips of songs and interviews portray the seemingly endless variety of music traditions and languages in West Africa. Transcriptions and translations make these languages accessible. When put to music, African languages take on a new power. Artistic expression ranges in form from a herder’s a cappella improvisations during solitary excursions with the family herds, to families casted into a lineage, focused on inheriting and projecting knowledge through musical performances.
The endless variety of musical aesthetics sometimes seems solely like a means to broadcast a heightened form of linguistic expression. Vocalists project artistic creativity, adding ornamentation to language, decorating oral traditions within unique aural soundscapes.
It should be noted that there are some exceptions on this page to music made for interesting oral traditions like stories or incantations, even if they to do not have accompanying music, given that they have poetic and rhythmic elements similar in interest to this project’s theme of language use in the creative arts.
Video translation status
Transcriptions and translations are in progress and those that appear on these pages are in draft form. We are working on completing the transcription and translation for all videos as well as updating the African Language text using African language orthographies.
The videos are arranged by language.
You can locate the videos by country or by artist name as well.
- Benin
- Abake Okebiyi – Nago
- Aklampa King’s Court – Fongbe
- Assonhe Degbegnon Barnabe – Fongbe
- Babalawos of Ketou – Nago
- Bante Hunter’s Society – Nago
- Couvent Ira Igbo de Fanigbe – Nago
- [Son Mageste] Dah Missano – Fongbe
- Hwegbe – Fongbe
- Itan Akaba Idenan with Lamilokou Boniface – Nago
- Kinwou – Fongbe
- Koronkore Women’s songs – Waama
- Kouagou Daroukpa – Tammari
- Kpele Kabiru of Toui – Nago
- Nago Folktales of Bante – Nago
- Ode Hunters of Ketou – Nago
- Odjo Babalaho – Nago
- Orou Borna Dance Ensemble – Waama
- Sahizonou Gregoire – Nago
- Songs of the Main Tron Shrine in Savalou – Fongbe
- Songs from the Royal Court of Savalou – Fongbe
- Veronique Agbadahou – Nago
- Burkina
- A To Ala Ma – Jula
- Farafina – Jula
- Karafa Mambui – Bwamu
- Mamou Kamissogo – Malinke
- Troupe Théâtrale de Yatenga – Moore
- Ghana
- Aissata Nagomse – Dagbanli
- Akparibon Afuugo – Kusaal
- Amodo Akadumah – Frafra
- Kusasi Women’s Songs – Kusaal
- Ladji’s Bar – Jula
- Lolig Tuopong – Frafra
- Gomez Adongo stories – Frafra
- Harouna Abdoulaye and sons – Dagbanli
- Sapashinima of Kakpagyili – Dagbanli
- [Chief] John Bawa Zuure – Frafra
- Mali
- Maimouna Diarra – Bamanankan
- Sidibé Foli – Bamanankan
- Fousseyni Ouattara – Bamanankan
- Assitan Tangara – Bamanankan
- Niger
- Abdoulsalam Mamoudou – Hausa
- Alhassene Ahmed Alhakib – Tamasheq
- Aroudeini and family – Tamasheq
- Aroudeini and Ghalitane – Tamasheq
- Bello Ballad Band – Hausa
- Bianu East and West – Hausa
- Bingal Tupe Bumbu – Fulfulde
- Boubacar Souleymane – Fulfulde
- Boubacar Souleymane – Zarma-Songhai
- Ciliboy Church Choir – Gulmancema
- Dan Na Maye – Hausa
- Dangash’s Tende Ensemble – Tamasheq
- Djeliba Badje – Zarma-Songhai
- Elh Duda – Hausa
- Fatimata Barka – Tamasheq
- Groupe Tinni Bio Nya – Songhai
- Halarou Alou – Hausa
- Ibou Zakara – Zarma-Songhai
- Mai Gizo Bilan – Hausa
- Mahaman Sani Maigurmi – Hausa
- Makadan Sarkin Ayar – Hausa
- Nassirou Laminou – Hausa
- Oumarou Sambo – Zarma-Songhai
- Tanyemba – Gulmancema
- Zarma Wedding songs – Zarma-Songhai
- Zahidatou Adham – Tamasheq
- Togo
- Flutes of Efolo – Tem
- Mazama of Kumea – Kabye
- Songs of the Tromakui Dani Shrine – Mina
- Troupe Folklorique d’Aneho á Jesuvito – Gen-Mina
- Women’s songs from Aledjo Kadara – Tem
- A To Ala Ma – Jula
- Abake Okebiyi – Nago
- Abdoulsalam Mamoudou – Hausa
- Aissata Nagomse – Dagbanli
- Aklampa King’s Court – Fongbe
- Akparibon Afuugo – Kusaal
- Alhassene Ahmed Alhakib – Tamasheq
- Amodo Akadumah – Gurune
- Aroudeini and family – Tamasheq
- Aroudeini and Ghalitane – Tamasheq
- Assitan Tangara – Bamanankan
- Assonhe Degbegnon Barnabe – Fongbe
- Ayawini Agbisne – Kusaal
- Babalawos of Ketou – Nago
- Bante Hunter’s Society – Nago
- Bello Ballad Band – Hausa
- Bianu East and West – Hausa
- Bingal Tupe Bumbu – Fulfulde
- Boubacar Souleymane – Fulfulde
- Boubacar Souleymane – Zarma-Songhai
- [Son Mageste] Dah Missano – Fongbe
- Ciliboy Church Choir – Gulmancema
- Couvent Ira Igbo de Fanigbe – Nago
- Dan Na Maye – Hausa
- Dangash’s Tende Ensemble – Tamasheq
- Djeliba Badje – Zarma-Songhai
- Elh Duda – Hausa
- Farafina – Jula
- Fatimata Barka – Tamasheq
- Flutes of Efolo – Tem
- Fousseyni Ouattara – Bamanankan
- Gambina Abdoul-Bakr – Zarma-Songhai
- Gomez Adongo stories – Frafra
- Groupe Tinni Bio Nya – Songhai
- Halarou Alou – Hausa
- Harouna Abdoulaye and sons – Dagbanli
- Hwegbe – Fongbe
- Ibou Zakara – Zarma-Songhai
- Itan Akaba Idenan with Lamilokou Boniface – Nago
- [Chief] John Bawa Zuure – Frafra
- Karafa Mambui – Bwamu
- Kinwou – Fongbe
- Koronkore Women’s songs – Waama
- Kouagou Daroukpa – Tammari
- Kpele Kabiru of Toui – Nago
- Ladji’s Bar – Jula
- Lolig Tuopong – Frafra
- Mahaman Sani Maigurmi – Hausa
- Mai Gizo Bilan – Hausa
- Maimouna Diarra – Bamanankan
- Makadan Sarkin Ayar – Hausa
- Mamou Kamissogo – Malinke
- Mazama of Kumea – Kabye
- Nago Folktales of Bante – Nago
- Nassirou Laminou – Hausa
- Ode Hunters of Ketou – Nago
- Odjo Babalaho – Nago
- Orou Borna Dance Ensemble – Waama
- Oumarou Sambo – Zarma-Songhai
- Sahizonou Gregoire – Nago
- Sapashinima of Kakpagyili – Dagbanli
- Sidibé Foli – Bamanankan
- Songs of the Main Tron Shrine in Savalou – Fongbe
- Songs of the Tromakui Dani Shrine – Mina
- Songs from the Royal Court of Savalou – Fongbe
- Tanyemba – Gulmancema
- Troupe Folklorique d’Aneho á Jesuvito – Gen-Mina
- Troupe Théâtrale de Yatenga – Moore
- Veronique Agbadahou – Nago
- Women’s songs from Aledjo Kadara – Tem
- Zarma Wedding songs – Zarma-Songhai
- Zahidatou Adham – Tamasheq
Learn about Brian Nowak, (1977-2021) the initiator of and driving force behind ALMA’s Language of African Music