Wednesday, November 20, 2024
University of Bern
Main Building, Hochschulstrasse 4, Auditorium maximum
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Sylvia Antonia Nakimera Nannyonga-Tamusuza, Performing Arts and Film, Makerere University, Uganda
While it gained political independence from the British in 1962, the Eurocentric legacy continues to define the branding, content and pedagogies of Uganda’s indigenous community music at higher education institutions (HEIs). Despite diverse musics and dances among the 65 Uganda's indigenous communities, the curriculum presents indigenous music as “African” and is defined in Eurocentric terms. As Uganda strives to free itself from colonialism and all its ruminants, it needs to decolonise its education system. There is a need to deconstruct the privileging of Eurocentric knowledge over that of the formerly colonised. This call has dominated the last decade's scholarship in universities in Africa. However, Africanisation as a strategy for decolonisation is not an alternative as it perpetuates Africa's essentialisation, obscuring the realities of Africa’s diverse histories, values, beliefs and, in this case, its music and, therefore, recolonising Africa. To decolonise the colonial narrative that centres on ways of knowing, teaching and learning Indigenous community music in Uganda from the Eurocentric lens, we must confront the “Africanisms” that have come to define what belongs to the people in/of/from Africa. The ethnomusicological understanding of music (and dance) as part of the Indigenous cultural heritage of the people of Uganda, which constitutes more than sound to include the process of its creation, consumption and interpretation in the various social, cultural, political and economic contexts, informs this lecture.
Interdisciplinary Lecture Series in the Fall Semester 2024
Main Building, Hochschulstrasse 4, Auditorium maximum
Wednesdays, 18.15 – 19.45, open to the public and free of charge
www.collegiumgenerale.unibe.ch
Complete programme