On April 28th I was introduced to the concepts of Afro-Sonics in Global Sonic Cultures. The concepts of participatory archives, diasporas of culture and music through the communities formed by freed slaves, and Afrofuturism all resonated with me.

Polyrhythmic music was the first concept I researched following the lecture. Playing two or more rhythms in parallel is crucial to most African music, and in researching and listening to Hugh Tracey’s recordings of Zimbabwe and Uganda 1 I found the use of cross rhythms very prevalent. This contributed to my thoughts on participatory archives as I’ve recently been debating my perspective on collecting music from cultures considered to be on the global periphery. I went to Cuba in November to visit family and I recorded a lot of live music and felt invasive at times but apart of the group at other times, especially when the recordings took place in a home.

From my current perspective the recordings from Hugh Tracey are a perfect example of pure fascination and admiration for another culture that is not directly related to the interacting party. His admiration seems to be derived from a more of an amazed perspective rather than a colonial or intrusive perspective. Collecting instruments, and learning how to participate in the jams was apparent in the practice of the International Library of African Music.