The soft, wooden sounds of marimbas pulsated around the small amphitheatre. The metallic thrum of the Mbiras accompanied these sounds while guitars and drums carried the beat. The blend of African instruments with bass guitars created a sound that was at once traditional and modern – a sound that invited the listener to identify with a story and a time so different to their own.
The soft, wooden sounds of marimbas pulsated around the small amphitheatre. The metallic thrum of the Mbiras accompanied these sounds while guitars and drums carried the beat. The blend of African instruments with bass guitars created a sound that was at once traditional and modern – a sound that invited the listener to identify with a story and a time so different to their own. An audience comprising students, school children and local residents listened with rapt attention.
Last Friday, the International Library of African Music (Ilam) held its first outreach concert of the year.
Ilam was first started in 1954 by ethnomusicologist Hugh Tracey and was specifically designed to create awareness about African music and the oral tradition, while at the same time acting as an outreach programme. Diane Thram, Ilam's current director explained, “the organisation's biggest purpose is to bring people into the musical setting and concerts like these are used to showcase the students.”
The majority of the musical performers were Ethnomusicology students at Rhodes, and their course is designed around outreach programmes, so Friday’s concert spoke to both their needs and Ilam’s. “We hold these concerts three to four times a year,” Thram told Grocott's Mail. “They are a both a gesture from Rhodes University and to just have some fun.”
Storytelling was also an enthralling feature of the event. Andrew Tracey, the son of Hugh Tracey and the previous director of Ilam, told a Zimbabwean folktale while Dr Edward Nambile from Ghana also gave a rousing rendition of a story from his home country.
“It was hugely interesting to watch,” said Rebecca Glover, a first year Ethnomusicology student. “It didn't just focus on South African culture but brought together different parts of Africa through music.”
The concert gave insight into an organisation that many people are unfamiliar with, and provided a good opportunity for anyone with musical skills to get involved.
