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MuchWorldMusic: Kenya

MuchWorldMusic: Exploring Sound Cultures - Kenya Edition (1 hour)
Produced: 2000

Introduction

This video presents us with many issues of poor youth in Kenya, and the help that Canada is providing through CIDA. We also experience several musical styles played in Kenya. There is no voice-over narration, but some flowing titles provide background information and explanation. For the most part, the youth, musical artists and social workers speak for themselves. More information and background on Kenyan music and these issues can be found by using a WWW search engine and the search terms: Kenya, music, culture. The discussion and activities suggested below are intended to help students understand the role of music in the culture of Kenya and appreciate the qualities of Kenyan music. Teachers are welcome to select and modify the ideas to best suit the needs of their students and the time for study.

During the program, we see and hear four complete music videos, which provides a great opportunity to compare Kenyan music and culture with Canadian music and culture.

The first music video is "Agolo," a video with a central singer surrounded by singers and dancers. While we might not understand the lyrics, we can take information from the music and the movement.

How would you describe the style of the music? What Canadian style and/or group is it most like? How is it distinctly African?

Describe the colours, costumes and movements of the singers and dancers. What feelings do you get from them?

Describe two ways that circles are used in the video. If the circles are used as symbols, what might they symbolize?

Is the message of this video positive? How can you tell?

"Oh!! Twalia" is a musical response to a terrorist bombing that occurred in 1998. What feeling do you get from the music? How does the inclusion of actual images from the bombing help you understand the video? Do the images communicate the terror of the bombing better than knowing how many people were injured and killed? Is the message of this video positive? How can you tell?

"Pambazuka Africa" is a video that concentrates on a large musical group in a variety of settings. What is the effect of seeing the group in a variety of costumes and settings? Do the images give you any idea of what the song is about? Is the message of this video positive? How can you tell?

"La Cour des Grands" is sung in French. Where are the images from? How is this a video about Kenya? What messages do you get from the video? How might the soccer game and ball be interpreted as symbols in the video? Is the message of this video positive? How can you tell?

Most current popular music originated from African rhythms and melodies. What musical similarities can you identify between these four videos and many of the popular videos currently shown on MuchMusic?

After viewing and discussing the four videos, consider how they are responding to the social problems faced by Kenyan youth. How similar to and different from Canadian videos are they? Which of the videos would be most successful if shown in rotation on MuchMusic? Why?

2. After seeing the Masai dancers, we see an interview with one dancer who gives us some tips on what to do when meeting a lion while leading a cow in the Kenyan countryside. What are his tips? Do you believe his advice? Why? How does his explanation of his scarred arm influence his credibility about understanding lions well?

Write the tips out in paragraph form. How did you have to restructure the spoken ideas so they could be understood when read?

3. MYSA - CIDA cultural problem with AIDS

We see and hear people who are working for MYSA, an agency supported by Canada through CIDA. MYSA is working to improve the self-esteem and success of the youth in this poor neighbourhood of Nairobi.

Listen to the interviews, then describe the strategies that MYSA is using to help the youth. Is it working? Why? Can you suggest other ways that MYSA could help the youth? How can Canada help these people to continue to succeed after they have outgrown MYSA's youth programs?

Do you feel that Canada's support of MYSA is helping Kenyans in significant ways? Why? Can you suggest a better way for Canada to help Kenyan youth overcome its problems?

4. We see many participants in the Florida 2000 Talent Show, a show which has been designed to help youth feel better about themselves and to get them off the dangerous streets of Nairobi. Do you think this is a good strategy? Why? Describe at least three ways that this talent show is beneficial. Where else have you seen a talent show used to help people feel and behave in a positive way?

Why do you think the club is called Florida 2000?

Written by: Neil Andersen

Neil Andersen is a Curriculum Consultant with the Toronto District School Board. He is also a speaker and consultant in media and communications technology. His most recent work includes the Media Launchpad website, the teachers' study guide for the award-winning Scanning Television, and study guides for Space, Bravo! and MuchMusic's Cable in the Classroom broadcasts of original media literacy programming.

For more information about MuchMusic's educational programming -- or to give us your feedback -- please contact:

Calla Dewdney
Public Affairs Coordinator
CHUM Television
416-591-7400 x5940
callad@chumtv.com

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