Original scientific paper
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING A JALI MUSO: SOME ASPECTS OF THE ROLE AND STATUS OF THE WOMEN IN THE MUSIC LIFE OF TODAY'S GAMBIA
Mojca Piškor
; Intitute of Ethnology and Folklore Research, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Author's interpretation of the role and status of women musicians in
the music life of today’s Gambia is based on an insight into the
existing literature and recent releases of the local music industry and
on a two-month field research in Gambia. In the past the identity of
Gambian musicians was related to the strict social stratification,
according to which music was the exclusive domain of the griots,
members of the hereditary musician caste. In the contemporary
Gambian music life the identity of the musicians is greatly
influenced not only by the relicts of the tradition but also by the
growth of the music industry, the expansion of the mass media and
arrival of tourists, which have in the course of time become the
larger potential audience for local musicians. Such circumstances
have led to the increasing appearance of non-griot male and female
musicians, what has resulted in a keen competition between the griot
and non-griot musicians, in performances for the local audience
during traditional ceremonies, as well as when performing for
tourists. The core of this work is articulated around the juxtaposition
of the expressed attitudes of two principal female informants — the
griot musician Kanku Kuyateh and the non-griot musician Ndey
Nyang Njie — which show the evident differences in approach to,
and contemplation about various aspects of the musical profession.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
33372
URI
Publication date:
4.6.2001.
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