SIL International Media Release
Ethnomusicology papers at world conference
Brian Schrag (center) with Jean-Pierre Tametsa and Etienne Nota of the Danse Kanoon du Secteur Ntumplefet (Bamiléké Dance Association, Cameroon)
(July 2009) Two SIL ethnomusicologists are presenting papers at a biennial world conference held 1–8 July in Durban, South Africa. The University of KwaZulu-Natal, Howard College Campus, is hosting the conference of the International Council of Traditional Music (ICTM).
- Brian Schrag, International Coordinator for Ethnomusicology and the Arts, SIL International: "Musical invigoration of cultural dynamism in a Bamiléké Dance Association"
- Julie Taylor, SIL Africa Area Anthropology Coordinator: “Kenya's Music and Cultural Festival re-examined: Can performance arts heal a divided land?”
Ethnomusicology within SIL is concerned not only with research and documentation of music around the world, but also with promoting and encouraging the use of indigenous music to meet contemporary needs within the given society.
Themes of the Conference:
- Postcolonialism(s) and the future for our disciplines
- Reapproaching the ''popular'' and the ''traditional'' in the contemporary world
- Festivals, contests and competitions
- Emotion, spirituality and experience
- Masculinities in music and dance
- New research
The International Council for Traditional Music
The aims of the ICTM are to further the study, practice, documentation, preservation and dissemination of traditional music and dance of all countries. To these ends, the Council organizes meetings, World Conferences, Study Groups and Colloquia. In addition, the Council maintains an active website and a membership directory and supervises the preparation and publication of journals and bulletins.
ICTM world conferences are held biennially and offer the general membership and the public opportunities for exchanges on a broad scope of issues.