Effects of migration on music traditions of the Communities of African Great Lakes Region

Authors

  • Charles Nyakiti Orawo Kenyatta University

Keywords:

migration, Great Lakes Region, African, Communities, music traditions

Abstract

The paper assesses effects of migrations on the music traditions of the communities of the Great Lakes region of Africa. “Bantus” and “Nilotes”, the two most populous communities in the region migrated by crisscrossing each other’s paths as they were forced to move from their original points of dispersal to new territories. The survey considered how such movements affected the socio-cultural traditions of the immigrants; how and where they migrated to; the challenges they faced as they migrated and the effects of the movements on both the indigenous communities and the immigrants. Such movements led to the systematic realignment of boundaries and borders in the region. The migrations were as a result of internal feuds, security from human aggressors, deadly diseases, increase in human population, and ecological changes. Those migrating merged, amalgamated and finally developed into new societies with new emergent musical identities. Some effects of the migrations were the introduction of a Centralized Kingdom Tradition, a tradition that later spread all over the Great Lakes region as far as Rwanda Burundi and Congo. The ethnic pluralism also became a distinctive feature in the Great Lakes region as the new societies created, being neither Bantus nor Nilotes came up with new music traditions and practices. The paper notes that the ritualistic claims on drums by chiefs and the fixing of drum heads are features that highlighted the effects of migration in the region. Those who got in touch with Arabs ended up making musical instruments that have oriental features such in mabumbumbu of Midzi Chenda and Ngoma mbaa of the Dawida. Effects of migration on the communities’ music traditions are real and outstanding as they contribute to their socio-cultural developments, and more so, to the musical instruments and song-dance traditions of communities of the Great Lakes Region of Africa.

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Published

2024-04-09

How to Cite

Orawo, C. N. (2024). Effects of migration on music traditions of the Communities of African Great Lakes Region. Journal of Creative Arts, Communication and Media Studies, 2(1), 4–29. Retrieved from https://journal.ku.ac.ke/index.php/JCCM/article/view/462

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