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The early history of West African highlife music

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 November 2008

Extract

Highlife is one of the myriad varieties of acculturated popular dance-music styles that have been emerging from Africa this century and which fuse African with Western (i.e. European and American) and islamic influences. Besides highlife, other examples include kwela, township jive and mbaqanga from South Africa, chimurenga from Zimbabwe, the benga beat from Kenya, taraab music from the East African coast, Congo jazz (soukous) from Central Africa, rai music from North Africa, juju and apala music from western Nigeria, makossa from the Cameroons and mbalax from Senegal.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1989

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References

Collins, J. 1985, Music Makers of West Africa (Washington, DC: Three Continents Press)Google Scholar
Mensah, E.T., 1986, The King of Highlife (London: Off The Record Press)Google Scholar