African music comes to the fore in Cambridge next week with a festival of music by composers from the continent.

Composition in Africa and the Diaspora is a five-day series of concerts and discussions at Churchill College celebrating the emerging recognition that African composers are receiving world-wide.

Some decades ago, questions were asked about the existence of an African literature. Now, after the award of four Nobel Prizes to African writers, there is no doubt in international circles that it has a rich culture.

The cultural background and historical context which nurtured African literature are similar to those of composition, although in terms of international recognition music is seen as several decades behind literature. Even within the African continent the works of modern composers are virtually unknown. However, since the early 1990s there have been indications that this position is about to change and that African music will gain acceptance in the world’s major venues of music performance and scholarship.

This biennial international symposium and festival in Cambridge was launched in 2001 as a means of creating awareness and understanding for the activities of composers on the continent. It is also a forum for scholarly discourse aimed towards the establishment of an appropriate theoretical framework for the study of this music.

The man behind the Festival is Professor Akin Euba, Nigeria’s most literary scholar, composer and performer and a world authority on African musicology. “It has been exactly twenty years since I started organizing concerts aimed towards promoting the works of African composers. By a happy coincidence, the very first concert that I staged took place in July 1985 in the auditorium of the Faculty of Music, University of Cambridge. I am therefore especially privileged to be back here in Cambridge with a biennial series which I have organized at Churchill College since 2001. The College is an exceptionally convenient venue for the series and many who attended previous events have told me how much they enjoyed coming here. This year’s event is also significant because it takes place in the context of AFRICA 05, a UK wide celebration of African arts and culture. I feel most honoured to be part of this celebration.”

This year’s event will be attended by composers, scholars and performers from Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe and the USA, taking part in both scholarly presentations and concerts.

The Festival runs from Thursday 4 to Monday 8 August with concerts in the Wolfson Hall Auditorium at Churchill College, Cambridge. Tickets are on sale at the Arts Theatre Box Office (01223) 503333. Visit the festival website for further information following the link top right.


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