La musique occupe une place importante dans les pratiques culturelles des Tchadiens et plus particulièrement des habitants de N’Djamena. Elle s’exprime sous des formes variées : festivals, concerts, caravanes de musiciens à travers les grandes artères de la ville et s’inscrit dans des lieux divers : bars, centres culturels, points de vente, espaces publics. Elle est aussi médiatisée par de nombreuses émissions de radio et de télévision. Notre recherche vise à comprendre les modalités et les implications de cette inscription de la musique dans une ville africaine dont l’image a toujours été liée aux affrontements armés dont elle a été le théâtre. Construite principalement à partir des données ethnographiques, cette thèse a donc pour objet de rendre compte de la dynamique de formation d’une scène musicale à N’Djaména. Elle analyse les logiques d’intervention des acteurs publics et privés, ainsi que la portée de leurs actions respectives dans le développement du monde de la musique. En outre, l’étude des différentes formes d’inscription sociale de la musique, notamment les évènements scéniques a permis d’interroger la notion de recomposition de la ville par les activités musicales en termes d’infrastructures mais aussi en termes de pratiques des lieux urbains par le public. L’un des axes majeurs de cette thèse concerne les formes de sociabilité et les phénomènes d’appartenance liés au mode de vie urbain et observés au sein des clubs d’amateurs de musique. Enfin, l’analyse des pratiques musicales et des attachements du public à la musique a permis de mettre en lumière à la fois l’importance de la musique comme vecteur de la cohésion nationale et la constitution de critères de hiérarchisation collectivement partagés qui attestent de l’existence d’une forme spécifique de « légitimité culturelle ». / Music is one of the major components of cultural practices in Chad, especially for the inhabitants of N’Djamena. It assumes a variety of forms : festivals, concerts, musical parades across the main streets of the city, and takes place in a variety of venues: bars, cultural centres, retail outlets, squares and public spaces. It also receives media coverage through many radio and TV programmes.The present research aims to understand the modalities and implications of the impact music leaves on an African town whose image has always been associated with armed conflict.The intention of this thesis, largely based on ethnographical data, is to give an account of the dynamics at work in the emergent musical scene in N’Djamena. It proposes a twofold analysis: Firstly, of the logic behind public and private intervention and secondly, of the scope of their respective actions in the evolution of the field of music.Our examination of the different ways music leaves its mark on society, particularly through live performances, has also led us to question the idea that the town is being restructured by music, not only in terms of specific venues but also in terms of how the general public uses urban places.One of the main axes of the present thesis concerns the emergence of new forms of sociability and new social groups originating in the urban lifestyle, as they can be observed in the music lovers clubs.Lastly, our analysis of the public’s various musical practices and forms of attachment to music has highlighted the importance of the latter as a vector of national cohesion; it has also revealed how shared criteria of hierarchisation have emerged, thus testifying to the construction of a specific form of cultural legitimacy.

PhD (African Studies) / Department of African Studies / In the 1980s South Africa was subjected to cultural embargo. However, at the height of the embargo, Paul Simon went against the political climate of the day and mounted a cross-cultural, multinational music project called Graceland. Although South African popular music can facilitate the prosperity of musicians, only few musicians have succeeded in fostering this aspect. Using popular music and pop culture Afrocentrism as frameworks, this study analyses the Graceland project in the context of the South African popular music of the 1980s. The empirical research approach leaning towards the qualitative method was used. Interviews and literature review were the main modes of data gathering. Owing to the sensitivity of the subject, ethical considerations were adhered to. The cultural embargo, as well as other political interventions aiming at pressurising the South African government to abandon its apartheid policies, were well-meaning, but at the same time, the cultural embargo had a negative impact in that the popular culture of the country went unrecognised by global players. It was envisaged that this study would help in understanding the motivations and intentions of the planners of the Graceland project, and how these were to benefit the South African music sector. / NRF