Indigenising Music Education:

Abstract

This chapter considers ways in which the African musical arts can be successfully integrated into formal music education. Central aspects that define “African-ness” in African Indigenous musical traditions are examined in terms of both divergence from and common ground with Western music pedagogy practices. In the meeting of cultures in music education, decolonising work can be done through negotiation and translation. With examples drawn from professional experiences in Kenya and South Africa, the concept of recontextualised authenticity is advanced to provide a conceptual framework for understanding how African Indigenous musical practices may be translated into formal curricula and classroom practices, both in African contexts and globally. In this way, music education can pursue decolonising practices that serve as a basis for meaningful cross-cultural transmission and learning.