African Music Genres Quiz

African Music Genres

• Afrobeat: Western African music with Black American influences
• APALA (AKAPALA): Yoruba tribal style from Nigeria, associated with wake-up worshippers during Ramadan. Percussion instruments used include rattles (sekere), thumb piano (agidigbo), and bells (agogo).
• AXE: Music genre from Salvador, Bahia, and Brazil, blending Afro-Caribbean styles of Marcha and Reggae. Played by carnival bands.
• JIT: Fast, percussive Zimbabwean dance music. Played with drums and guitar accompaniment, influenced by mbira-based guitar styles.
• JIVE: South African music, a lively and uninhibited variation of the jitterbug. Also described as a form of swing dance.
• JUJU: Nigerian music, relying on traditional Yoruba styles. More westernized in style.
• KWASSA KWASSA: Music from Zaire (late 1980s). Popularized by Kanda Bongo Man. Characterized by hip movements that match arm movements.
• MARBI: South African three-chord township music (1930s-1960s). Evolved into African Jazz. Simple chords with repetitive harmonies over extended periods to allow for dancing.

Latin American Music Influenced by African Music

• Reggae: Jamaican music with traditional mento and offbeat rhythms and staccato chords.
• Salsa: Music from Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Colombia. Includes various subgenres like Cuban son montuno, guaracha, chachacha, mambo, and bolero.
• Samba: Brazilian music with roots in African slave trade traditions. Characterized by underlying rhythms and a strong, lively beat.
• Soca: Trinidadian and Tobagonian music, combining calypso and Indian rhythms.
• Were: Muslim music performed as a wake-up call. Fuses African and European music styles
• Zouk: Carnival-like rhythm from Guadeloupe and Martinique; a common Caribbean style.

Vocal Forms of African Music

• Maractu: African state of Pernambuco. Combines African percussion instruments with Portuguese melodies. Dancers often accompany the musical groups.

• Blues: 19th-century deep roots in African-American communities of the American Deep South. Expressive and soulful sound.

• Soul: 1950s-1960s music from the US. Combines elements of African American Gospel music, rhythm and blues, often with hand claps and body movements.

• Spiritual: Deeply religious music from African slaves in America. Characterized by loneliness and anger. Utilized call and response.

• Call and Response: Musical succession of two distinct musical phrases by different musicians. Usually a question and answer sequence between verses and choirs.

Test your knowledge on various African music genres including Afrobeat, Juju, Jit, and more. Dive into the rich sounds and cultural influences that shape the music from different regions of Africa. Ideal for music lovers and cultural enthusiasts.