Fiddling in West Africa : Touching the Spirit in Fulbe, Hausa, and Dagbamba Cultures

Fiddling has had a lengthy history in Africa which has long been ignored. Jacqueline Cogdell DjeDje corrects this oversight with an expansive study on fiddling in the Fulbe, Hausa, and Dagbamba cultures of West Africa. DjeDje not only explains the history of the instrument itself, but also discusses the processes of stylistic transference and adaptation, suggesting how these may have contributed to differing performance practices. Additionally, DjeDje delves into the music, the performance context, the musicians behind the fiddle, the meaning of the instrument, and its use in these three cultures. This detailed work helps the reader understand and appreciate three little-known musical cultures in West Africa and the fiddle's influence upon them. Frontmatter Acknowledgments (page ix) Introduction: A Master Fiddler and a Significant but Little-Known Tradition (page 1) 1. Fiddling in West Africa: Understanding the Culture Area (page 11) 2. An Affirmation of Identity: Fulbe Fiddling in Senegambia (page 43) 3. Calling the Bori Spirits: Hausa Fiddling in Nigeria (page 103) 4. In Service to the King: Dagbamba Fiddling in Ghana (page 169) Conclusion (page 242) Appendix: Distribution of the One-Stringed Fiddle (Listed by Country) (page 251) Notes (page 257) List of References (page 299) Discography and Videography: Selected Recordings of One-Stringed Fiddle Music from West Africa (page 319) Index (page 325) Fiddling has had a lengthly history in Africa which has long been ignored. DjeDje aims to correct this oversight with an expansive study on fiddling in the Fulbe, Hausa and Dagbamba cultures of West Africa. She not only explains the history of the instrument, but also discusses the processes of stylistic transference and adaptation. Fiddling has had a lengthy history in Africa that has been long ignored. DjeDje corrects this oversight with an expansive study on fiddling in the Fulbe, Hausa, and Dagbamba cultures of West Africa