La Musique des Hawsa du Niger
Institution:
Université Marc Bloch (Strasbourg) (1971-2008)Disciplines:
Directors:
Abstract EN:
We here have chosen to focus on the musical culture of a sedentary people, the hausa, our subject being the development of their musical culture since 1960. A study of their music thus turns out a study of the many problems to do with the social roles and tasks or offices performed by the traditional musicians commonly called "griots". Following a brief look at the history and cultural background of the hausa, we have examined the roles and tasks of the griot. A good deal of attention has been devoted to the classification of musicians and the structuring of their world, i. E. The pattern of their relationships with each other (in terms of decorum, witchraft, professional emulation, applied musical medicine), their relationship with the population at large, their own apprenticeship, etc. . . The main part of this paper is given up to an exhautive enquiery into the various musical genres and instruments. Stress is laid on the profond changes which the roles and takes of musicians (mainly of course, the griots), as also musical practice, have undergone in the last 30 years. The alterations in the attitudes of the population or in the behaviour of the musicians themselves, the loss of prestige of the griot and devaluation of niger's musical heritage, have been carefully looked into, and an attempt has been made to assess the causes of this development.
Abstract FR:
Cette etude est centree sur la culture musicale des hawsa et sur son evolution de 1960 a nos jours. A travers l'etude de la musique des hawsa, ce sont finalement tous les problemes relatifs aux roles et fonctions du griot dans la societe qui sont ainsi abordes. Apres avoir evoque l'histoire et le contexte culturel du peuple hawsa, on a analyse les roles et fonctions du griot. Une part importante a ete accordee a la categorisation des musiciens et a l'organisation de leur monde : c'est-a-dire aux relations qu'ils entretiennent entre eux (bienseance, sorcellerie, rivalite, medecine appliquee au metier), leurs rapports avec la population, leur formation etc. . . La partie principale consite en une etude exhaustive des instruments de musique et des differents genres musicaux. Elle met l'accent sur les transformations intervenues dans les roles et fonctions des musiciens (dont le griot est le centre) et dans les pratiques musicales au cours de ces trente dernieres annees. On a examine les mutations des attitudes de la part de la population, le changement de comportement des musiciens, la devalorisation de la profession du griot et la degradation du patrimoine musical nigerien. On a tente de degager les causes de cette situation et reflechi, pour finir, aux perspectives d'avenir des musiques nigeriennes traditionnelles, en faisant quelques suggestions pour une politique culturelle.