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9 - Introduction:

Songs, Prayers, Proverbs, and Material Culture

from Part Two - The Verbal Arts and Everyday Objects

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 April 2013

Alice Bellagamba
Affiliation:
University of Milan-Bicocca
Sandra E. Greene
Affiliation:
Cornell University, New York
Martin A. Klein
Affiliation:
University of Toronto
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Summary

Songs, prayers, proverbs, and the material cultures of Africa constitute an often overlooked source of information about slavery and the slave trade in Africa. Songs about slavery and the slave trade are sung today in communities throughout Africa, even though both slavery and the slave trade were officially abolished more than a century ago. Their ongoing performance can be attributed to a number of factors, among them the power of the lyrics and the mesmerizing music that accompanies them, as well as their usefulness in recalling historical events and educating the youth about the past. They also serve to reinforce social identities and religious beliefs in ways that continue to be relevant for the present. If the study of proverbs, prayers, and songs is uncommon for understanding the history of slavery and the slave trade in Africa, an analysis of material culture is even more unusual.
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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2013

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