African music and its musicians from the Pharaonic periods to Mali to the Mississippi Delta to the South Bronx have contributed some of the most lasting and influential cultural creations known. The music and musicians of Africa have been studied as early as the early 18th century. As interest in African music grew so did the discipline of ethnomusicology. Ethnomusicology has sought to understand, interpret and catalog the various areas of African music. In the United States interest in the music as a continuation of African culture was also sought after and investigated as an important area of research. The main objective of this project is to help expand the methodological approaches in the study of African Diasporan musical cultures and their practitioners. The author undertook a critical examination of the previous works on the subject made by both Continental and Diasporan African scholars, in addition to fieldwork in the United States and Africa (Ghana). Through considering the work songs of Pharaonic Egypt, the cosmogram of the Bantu-Kongo and the life of John Coltrane in particular this proposed work articulates new methodological tools in the research of African music and musicians. / African American Studies

Review

By research and interpretation of official documents published by the Swedish Ministery for Foreign Affairs and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), this thesis aims to understand and shine a light on the symbols that shape the Swedish public aid culture and how these symbols function in a narrative of what Swedish aid to the Democratic Republic of Congo is and is not. The theoretic framework leans on both the symbolic/interpretative anthropology of Edward Bruner, Clifford Geertz and Sherry Ortner; Omar Lizardo's more contemporary writing on the power of symbols; and Jerome Bruner's psychological perspective on symbols. The conclusion is that Swedish public aid appears to use a set of symbols and a narrative anchored in arbitrary parts of Sweden's and Congo's mutual history to conjure up the image of a dark and dangerous Congo in contrast to the knowledgable and good Sweden.

<p>\ / Doctorat en Langues et lettres / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Le cuivre occupe une place importante en Afrique centrale tout au long du second millénaire, notamment dans les échanges. Les gisements du bassin du Niari au sud de la République du Congo, mentionnés dès le 16e siècle dans les sources européennes, ont ainsi joué un rôle économique d’envergure. Ils auraient contribué au développement de plusieurs entités politiques de la zone dont, notamment, le royaume Kongo.Les données directes sur la métallurgie primaire du cuivre dans cette zone restaient cependant limitées à cause du laconisme des sources historiques et de l’insuffisance des données archéologiques. Cette thèse avait donc pour but d’identifier, de dater et de caractériser les différentes productions de cuivre que le bassin du Niari a pu connaître, d’en comprendre le contexte technique, mais aussi sociétal et d’appréhender le rôle que ces productions ont pu jouer à l’échelle régionale, dans les échanges et au niveau sociopolitique. L’étude du matériel céramique et métallurgique récolté lors de trois campagnes de fouilles et de prospections a permis d’identifier plusieurs types de productions métallurgiques différentes rattachées à quatre grandes périodes d’activité entre le 9e et le 19e siècle. La diversité des pratiques métallurgiques et des assemblages céramiques associés suggère une occupation de la zone par des groupes distincts au cours du second millénaire. Ces groupes entretiennent des liens avec d’autres entités culturelles et politiques régionales et leurs productions s’insèrent dans des réseaux d’échanges dont les ramifications sont complexes et multiples. Si l’insertion des zones cuprifères dans ces réseaux varie au cours du temps, certains axes de commerce interrégionaux bien documentés au 19e siècle semblent déjà être bien établis au 14e siècle, attestant ainsi l’ancienneté des échanges sur de longues distances à l’ouest de l’Afrique centrale. / Doctorat en Histoire, histoire de l'art et archéologie / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Review

This book review discusses Xavier Luffin's “Un autre regard sur l'histoire congolaise”, a recent collection of documents in Arabic and Swahili from the Congo in Belgian archives covering the period between 1880 and 1899. The author summarizes and comments on the structure, content, and scope of the book. / Tathmini hii ya kitabu inajadili “Un autre regard sur l'histoire congolaise” ya Xavier Luffin, mkusanyo wa hivi majuzi wa hati za Kiarabu na Kiswahili kutoka Kongo katika kumbukumbu za Ubelgiji zinazohusu kipindi cha kati ya 1880 na 1899. Mwandishi wa tathmini anatoa muhtasari na kutoa maoni kuhusu muundo, maudhui, na upeo ya kitabu.

In my diploma thesis I try for an objective evaluation and analysis of the history of the Democratic republic of the Congo since the year 1960, when the country gained its independence from Belgium, until the first years of the 21st century. The whole time period of 50 years of the existence of the country is divided into several intervals according to important events, which influenced the country's political development. Consequently one chapter of the thesis is devoted to each time period. In the conclusion of my thesis I try to evaluate the contemporary situation in the Democratic republic of the Congo and suggest solutions for the future.

Durante o século XVII, uma acentuada presença de missionários capuchinhos marcou definitivamente a história da África Central. Buscamos verificar até que ponto a entrada dos capuchinhos influenciou as relações estabelecidas entre a coroa portuguesa e as autoridades locais na África Central, uma vez que estes missionários eram subordinados diretamente ao papado, por meio da Sagrada Congregação de Propaganda Fide. Dessa forma, analisamos o modo (conflituoso ou não) como os capuchinhos se relacionaram com as autoridades e população locais e com a coroa portuguesa. Por meio de relatos e correspondência dos missionários da Ordem do Frades Menores Capuchinhos, que estiveram no reino do Congo entre 1645 e 1665, período de inúmeras conversões de africanos ao cristianismo, estudamos o contexto político-social e as características deste catolicismo africano, buscando compreender como africanos e europeus adaptavam e reelaboravam a crença cristã no contexto das experiências de contato. / During the XVII century, an accentuated presence of capucin missionaries in Central Africa marked definitely its history. This work analizes the extension of the impact of the Capucin missions in the established relations between the Portuguese crown and the local authorities in Central Africa, since these missionaries were directly under the papado authority, by means of the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide. In doing that, we analyze the way (conflicted or not) that the Capucins dealed with local authorities and population and with the Portuguese royal house. Through the accounts and mailing of the Order of Capucin Minor Friars missionaries, that had been in Congo kingdom between 1645 and 1665, period of countless conversions of Africans to Christianity, we examine the political-social context and the characteristics of this African Catholicism, in order to understand how Africans and Europeans adapted and reelaborated the Christian belief in the context of contact experiences.

Durante o século XVII, uma acentuada presença de missionários capuchinhos marcou definitivamente a história da África Central. Buscamos verificar até que ponto a entrada dos capuchinhos influenciou as relações estabelecidas entre a coroa portuguesa e as autoridades locais na África Central, uma vez que estes missionários eram subordinados diretamente ao papado, por meio da Sagrada Congregação de Propaganda Fide. Dessa forma, analisamos o modo (conflituoso ou não) como os capuchinhos se relacionaram com as autoridades e população locais e com a coroa portuguesa. Por meio de relatos e correspondência dos missionários da Ordem do Frades Menores Capuchinhos, que estiveram no reino do Congo entre 1645 e 1665, período de inúmeras conversões de africanos ao cristianismo, estudamos o contexto político-social e as características deste catolicismo africano, buscando compreender como africanos e europeus adaptavam e reelaboravam a crença cristã no contexto das experiências de contato. / During the XVII century, an accentuated presence of capucin missionaries in Central Africa marked definitely its history. This work analizes the extension of the impact of the Capucin missions in the established relations between the Portuguese crown and the local authorities in Central Africa, since these missionaries were directly under the papado authority, by means of the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide. In doing that, we analyze the way (conflicted or not) that the Capucins dealed with local authorities and population and with the Portuguese royal house. Through the accounts and mailing of the Order of Capucin Minor Friars missionaries, that had been in Congo kingdom between 1645 and 1665, period of countless conversions of Africans to Christianity, we examine the political-social context and the characteristics of this African Catholicism, in order to understand how Africans and Europeans adapted and reelaborated the Christian belief in the context of contact experiences.