Journey of Song: Public Life and Morality in Cameroon (African Expressive Cultures)

During the long dry season, Tupuri men and women in northern Cameroon gather in gurna camps outside their villages to learn the songs that will be performed at widely attended celebrations to honor the year's dead. The gurna provides a space for them to join together in solidarity to care for their cattle, fatten their bodies, and share local stories. But why does the gurna remain meaningful in the modern nation-state of Cameroon? In Journey of Song, Clare A. Ignatowski explores the vitality of gurna ritual in the context of village life and urban neighborhoods. She shows how Tupuri songs borrow from political discourse on democracy in Cameroon and make light of human foibles, publicize scandals, promote the prestige of dancers, and provide an arena for powerful social commentary on the challenges of modern life. In the context of broad social change in Africa, Ignatowski explores the creative and communal process by which local livelihoods and identities are validated in dance and song. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 acknowledgments......Page 10 note on orthography and song notation......Page 14 maps......Page 16 ONE Introduction......Page 20 TWO Maı ̈tene ́’s Modern Life:Song as Negotiation of Public Morality......Page 43 THREE “Better than Family, Better than Girls”:The Tupuri Gurna Society......Page 60 FOUR Defying the Modern:Play of Identities in Gurna Dance Exhortation(ɔ’ge Fɔgε)......Page 94 FIVE “Telephone of the Dance”:Circulation of Gurna Song Discourse......Page 112 SIX “Rise Up, Gather Like Storm Clouds”:Poetics of Gurna Song (Siŋ Gurna)......Page 128 SEVEN “I Become Your Boy”:Power, Legitimacy and Magic in SongComposition......Page 161 EIGHT Staging Conflict through Insult:Competing Systems of Justice......Page 178 NINE Multipartyism and Nostalgia for the Unified Past:Discourses of Democracy in Gurna Politics......Page 196 TEN Conclusion......Page 216 notes......Page 222 bibliography......Page 232 index......Page 240 Introduction -- Maïtené's Modern Life : Song As Negotiation Of Public Morality -- Better Than Family, Better Than Girls : The Tupuri Gurna Society -- Defying The Modern : Play Of Identities In Gurna Dance Exhortation ([b,hooked][o]'ge F[o]g[e]) -- Telephone Of The Dance : Circulation Of Gurna Song Discourse -- Rise Up, Gather Like Storm Clouds : Poetics Of Gurna Song (si[ng] Gurna) -- I Become Your Boy : Power, Legitimacy And Magic In Song Composition -- Staging Conflict Through Insult : Competing Systems Of Justice -- Multipartyism And Nostalgia For The Unified Past : Discourses Of Democracy In Gurna Politics -- Conclusion. Clare A. Ignatowski. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [213]-220) And Index. Explores the vitality of gurna ritual in the context of village life and urban neighbourhoods. This book shows how Tupuri songs publicize scandals and provide an arena for social commentary on the challenges of modern life. It discusses the creative and communal process by which local livelihoods and identities are validated in dance and song. Annotation Explores ritual performance as an expression of competing social values