Music Dey Bridge: Strengthening African Diasporic Relations Through Sound
Location
PANEL: Senior MMUF Panel
Wilder Hall 112
Document Type
Presentation
Start Date
5-13-2022 11:00 AM
End Date
5-13-2022 12:00 PM
Abstract
This study is concerned with the relationship between Generation Z members of both the African immigrant community and the African American community in the United States. The second half of the twentieth century saw millions of Africans emigrate to the United States searching for opportunities. This mass migration marked a dynamic shift as continental Africans and African Americans came into dramatic spatial contact. The result has been complex. The cunning and relentless results of white supremacy have stifled African American and African immigrant collaboration from reaching its full potential. This study examines the points of tension between the African Diaspora on the one hand. And on the other hand, it argues how music—with its enchanting harmonies, its formation of Black narratives from Africa and America, and its alternative methodological approach—is a potent tool in sparking diasporic dialogue. For this presentation, I focus more so on how music can strengthen Black diasporic relationships by using songs, interview quotes, tweets, and article notes. I apply the concept that Africana music depicts the everyday Black experience. From artists of various diasporic communities, we learn something about their lives, their thoughts, and their respective cultural identities. With modern streaming platforms, cultures are shared transnationally with relative ease. In an effort toward a community that appreciates its differences and cherishes our similarities, I assert that music is a natural and underutilized point of convergence in enhancing diasporic dialogue and strengthening ties.
Keywords:
Ethnic relations, Africana Music
Recommended Citation
Ogunsanya, Qayyum, "Music Dey Bridge: Strengthening African Diasporic Relations Through Sound" (2022). Research Symposium. 20.
https://digitalcommons.oberlin.edu/researchsymp/2022/presentations/20
Award
Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship
Project Mentor(s)
Darko Opoku, Africana Studies
2022
Music Dey Bridge: Strengthening African Diasporic Relations Through Sound
PANEL: Senior MMUF Panel
Wilder Hall 112
This study is concerned with the relationship between Generation Z members of both the African immigrant community and the African American community in the United States. The second half of the twentieth century saw millions of Africans emigrate to the United States searching for opportunities. This mass migration marked a dynamic shift as continental Africans and African Americans came into dramatic spatial contact. The result has been complex. The cunning and relentless results of white supremacy have stifled African American and African immigrant collaboration from reaching its full potential. This study examines the points of tension between the African Diaspora on the one hand. And on the other hand, it argues how music—with its enchanting harmonies, its formation of Black narratives from Africa and America, and its alternative methodological approach—is a potent tool in sparking diasporic dialogue. For this presentation, I focus more so on how music can strengthen Black diasporic relationships by using songs, interview quotes, tweets, and article notes. I apply the concept that Africana music depicts the everyday Black experience. From artists of various diasporic communities, we learn something about their lives, their thoughts, and their respective cultural identities. With modern streaming platforms, cultures are shared transnationally with relative ease. In an effort toward a community that appreciates its differences and cherishes our similarities, I assert that music is a natural and underutilized point of convergence in enhancing diasporic dialogue and strengthening ties.
