Annotated Bibliography

Fabian, Johannes.  Moments of Freedom:  Anthropology and Popular Culture.  Charlottesville:  University Press of Virginia, 1998. 

Fabian’s book is heavy in anthropological theory and is more discussion than fact.  The author presents many ideas about numerous aspects of popular culture its relation to other facets of society, and then provides specific cases from the Democratic Republic of Congo to emphasize his point.  Each of the four chapters has a particular theme in popular culture, including the issues of genres and time and movement.  He includes extensive discussion of Jamaa, a religious sect within DR Congo.  Includes a few black and white pictures and a list of references.

Fabian, Johannes.  “Popular Culture in Africa:  Findings and Conjectures.”  Readings in Popular African Culture.  Bloomington:  Indiana University Press, 18 – 28, 1997.

In this article, Fabian attempts to compare the depiction of relationships between males and females in art, music, and religion within the region of Shaba, using the Jamaa teaching, a branch of Catholicism popular there.  He reproduces three paintings, as well as a chart comparing different aspects of male – female relationships within music, art, and religious teachings.  Fabian includes two appendices, one with lyrics for popular colonial songs, and the other with the story of Adam and Eve in the Jamaa teaching.  The scholarly writing is organized into several headings and sub-headings dealing with different facets of song, art, and religion. There is also a bibliography. 

Fabian, Johannes.  Remembering the Present:  Painting and Popular History in Zaire.  Berkeley:  University of California Press, 1996.

The first half of the book is entirely made up of what is called “The History of Zaire as Painted and Told by Tshibumba Kanda Matulu.”  The section consists of interviews between the author and the Zairian artist Tshibumba Kanda Matulu.  The artist explains the history and culture of his country all the way back to Adam and Eve, and the text of the conversation is accompanied by his paintings, which are pictures of the events being described.  Between the two parts of the book is a full color section of Tshibumba’s paintings.  The second section is filled with essays by the author in reaction to Tshibumba’s historical account.  Fabian analyzes history, Tshibumba’s paintings, and the artist himself to find out why he told the history the way he did.  The author includes an appendix containing information about the paintings pictured in the book, a list of references, and both a subject and painting index.

Jewsiewicki, Bogumil.  Chéri Samba : the Hybridity of Art.  Westmount, Québec: Galérie Amrad African Art Publications, 1995.

Jewsiewicki presents a complete and thorough look into Cheri Samba’s life and work.  A timeline of Samba’s life is given at the front, as well as a listing of his group and solo exhibitions.  Within the four chapters and their subtopics is discussion of Samba’s biography, the evolution of his work and views, and meanings behind common themes in his paintings.  Scattered throughout the text are small black and white pictures, and there is a 15-page section of vivid full color pictures of the paintings discussed within the book.  The writing is geared toward researchers and possibly students above the high school level.  All text is in both French and English, with the French pages being on the right side and English the left.  A bibliography is included in the back.

Jewsiewicki, Bogumil.  Painting in Zaire:  From the Invention of the West to the Representation of Social Self.  Africa Explores:  20^th Century African Art.  S. M. Vogel.  New York, Center for African Art: 56 – 77, 1991.

In this article, Jewsiewicki attempts to look at Zairian urban art by putting “aside the Western bourgeois notion of art, without however, abandoning it completely” (135).  Jewsiewicki explains meanings of cultural and religious symbols predominant in urban art as well as the societal situations that occurred to produce such art.  He also includes discussion of artists such as Pilipili, Moke, Tshibumba Kanda, and especially Cheri Samba.  There are many color photos of paintings done by artists of Zaire.  Several of the paintings are shown in groups with similar themes so as to better compare them, such as the Mami Wata and the Belgian colonial period.  Included at the end of the text are footnotes and a bibliography.

Jules-Rosette, Bennetta.  The Messages of Tourist Art:  An African Semiotic System in Comparative Perspective.  New York:  Plenum Press, 1984.

Jules-Rosette’s thorough look into the world of tourist art deals with most of Africa.  She includes two appendices and a list of references besides the text, as well as many small black and white photos within the text.  The book is divided into three parts, which are divided again into a total of nine chapters.  The author covers all aspects of tourist art, including the role of the consumer, different types of tourist art, and the different messages the art sends.  Within the book are detailed descriptions of the process the artist goes through to make the art, as well as several interviews with the artists themselves.  The style of writing would be easily read by a student audience.

Jules-Rosette, Bennetta.  “What is ‘Popular?’:  The Relationship Between Zairian Popular Art and Tourist Paintings.”  Art Pictural Zaïrois.  1992, 41-62.

Jules-Rosette’s aim in this commentary is to find links between Zairian urban and tourist art.  She does so by analyzing the relationships between the paintings of Zairian painter Tshibumba Kanda Matulu and the work of a group of Zairian painters based in Zambia called the Kanyama circle painters.  The works are compared based on their themes, genres, forms, and style by looking at both the content and audience they target.  Jules-Rosette provides interesting and well-written discussion.  Includes several black and white pictures of paintings and a list of references.

Kazadi wa Mukuna.  “The Genesis of Urban Music in Zaire.”  African Music.  7(2).  1992, 72 – 84.

Kazadi wa Mukuna focuses on the evolution of urban music within Zaire within the 20^th century, and how changes in society and politics brought about different types of music.  He discusses the history of the capital city of Kinshasa, as well as the effect the recording industry and radio stations had on Zairian music.  The text itself is of a scholarly nature and the material makes a good starting point for more in-depth research regarding the music styles.  Within the text are brief examples of rhythm patterns and schematic structures of popular Zairian music.  A select bibliography is also included.

Kazadi wa Mukuna.  “Latin America Musical Influences in Zaire.”  The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. 1998:  383-388.

Kazadi wa Mukuna’s discussion of the influence of Latin American music in Zaire is divided into three main parts: the role of radio, the role of recordings, and the role of concerts.  Each section includes a history that focuses both on the music industry in Zaire and how it was used to bring in Latin American music.  Though he eventually concludes that most Latin music was unable to evolve enough to remain popular in Zaire, both the rumba and the meringa were compatible enough to become part of the urban music scene.  The author included a list of references.

Mount, Marshall Ward.  African Art:  The Years Since 1920.  Bloomington:  Indiana University Press, 1973.

Mount’s book covers African art history since 1920 by looking at four different types of art: traditional, mission-inspired, tourist art, and what he calls “new” painting and sculpture.  Workshops and art schools are an important topic.  There are comparisons of artists who are formally trained with those who are not, as well as comparisons of the schools in different regions of Africa.  In the back of the book is a bibliography, glossary of names mentioned in the book, and autobiographies of African artists Lamidi Fakeye and Valente Goenha Malangatana.

Roberts, Allen.  “A Note on Contemporary Popular Sculpture in Southeastern Zaire.”  Art Pictural Zairois.  Ed. Bogumil Jewsiewicki.  Sillery, Quebec: Septentrion, 1992.

Roberts begins by saying that there is little information regarding sculpture in Zaire and even fewer sculptors in Zaire who do not create solely for traditional or tourist purposes.  He chooses to focus on one who does not do so, Songa Kaseke, a sculptor from Bukavu.  Roberts discusses Kaseke’s work and the political statements behind it.  He also discusses the importance of irony, not only in Kaseke’s pieces, but also to all the popular arts of Zaire.  Within the text are examples of Kaseke’s sculptures in black and white, as well as a bibliography at the end.

Sarno, Louis.  Bayaka.  The Extraordinary Music of the Ba-Benzele Pygmies.  New York:  Ellipses Arts, 1995.

Louis Sarno spent a decade of his life living among the Ba-Benjelle Pygmies and has written much about his life with them.  This particular book accompanies a CD with recordings of the pygmies’ music.  The text includes a blurb about each track on the CD, telling the ritual significance of the song and how both the song and the ritual it accompanies fit into the daily life of the Ba-Benjelle.  The book is filled with full-page color photos of the pygmies and their environment.  The text of the book itself deals with the culture and life of the people, and is divided into different sections, each dealing with a different aspect of life.  The writing is a little simplified and flowery, as if to appeal to tourists, but there is valid information inside.

Sarno, L.  Song From the Forest:  My Life Among the Ba-Benjelle Pygmies.  Boston:  Houghlin Mifflin, 1993.

Sarno lived among the pygmies for a decade, and this is his account of his life there.  He is not bashful about any element of his stay, and includes rather personal details about his emotions and relationships.  His anecdotes are very specific and detailed, as he quotes exact conversations.  He includes a discography of pygmy music, and an appendix about the reserve upon which he stayed.  It is informative, with details about daily life among the pygmies, but is from a non-anthropologist’s view.

Stewart, Gary.  Rumba on the River:  A History of the Popular Music of the Two Congos.  London:  Verso, 2000.

Stewart’s in-depth study deals with both the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo.  He focuses on the birth and evolution of Congo music, or soukous, and how it relates to the political situations of the time.  The twenty-three chapters are divided into time periods, starting with the time before 1946 and ending up with the 1990s.  The chapters often deal with the situation in both countries and compare the differences.  There are many black and white photographs, as well as maps of the areas surrounding the Congo River.  Stewart, who lived and worked in Africa for several years, includes a select discography of artists mentioned within his book as well as a bibliography. 

Turnbull, Colin.  The Forest People.  New York: Simon & Schuster, 1968.

This book is more of a story than anything else.  Turnbull spent considerable time living with the pygmies, and his book relives his experiences in detail, as well as some history about the pygmies and the evolving western conception of them.  However, through his anecdotes, the reader is given a glimpse into the way the pygmies live.  It deals with all aspects of life, but since music is important in their society, it is featured in much of the book.  The Molimo, the ritual of songs performed in a time of crisis, is featured prominently.  The book is very easy to read, and even includes a helpful glossary, footnotes and a pronunciation guide.  There are also 13 pages of black and white photos taken by the author.  Also included are 3 maps of the area Turnbull visited, each one of a smaller area and more specific than the last.  However, since the book is a retelling of Turnbull’s experiences, it isn’t much for in-depth research, though it would make a good starting point.  

Vogel, Susan.  “Art of the Here and Now.”  African Explores: 20^th Century African Art.  New York:  Center for African Art, 1991.

Vogel’s article deals in a general manner to all African urban art, particularly Senegalese glass painting and photography.  However, she also gives detail in describing the cases of three artists from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cheri Samba, Tshibumba Kanda Matulu, and Moke, as well as the Nigerian painter Middle Art.  Though it is no hard task to locate information on Cheri Samba, Moke and Tshibumba often don’t even receive mentioning in other sources.  She also includes information on the commercial sign painting background of urban art, and how it became what it is today, as well as discussion on the common term for urban art, “popular art.” The article is littered with photos, both color and black and white, with long descriptive captions.

Vogel, Susan.  Ed.  Home and the World:  Architectural Sculpture by Two Contemporary African Artists:  Aboudramane and Bodys Isek Kingelez.  New York:  The Museum for African Art, 1993.

This book accompanies an exhibition at the New York Museum for African Art and contains contributions by Ismail Serageldin, Celeste Olalquiaga, Jean-Louis Pinte, and Jean-Marc Patras.  There is an interview with the Cote d’Ivoire sculptor Aboudramane and catalogues for both Aboudramane and Zairian sculptor Bodys Isek Kingelez.  The articles within the book discuss the definition of home as implied by the artists’ architectural sculpture as well as contrasting the messages of their works.  Included in the back are biographies of both artists, as well as the text of the book in it’s original French. 

Young, Crawford.  “Painting the Burden of the Past: History as Tragedy.”  Art  Pictural Zairois.  Ed. Bogumil Jewsiewicki.  Sillery, Quebec:  Septentrion, 1992.