The Importance of Being a Jali Muso: Some Aspects of the Role and Status of the Women in the Music Life of Today's Gambia
The Importance of Being a Jali Muso: Some Aspects of the Role and Status of the Women in the Music Life of Today's Gambia

Summary/Abstract: Author's interpretation of the role and status of women musicians in the music life of today’s Gambia is based on an insight into the existing literature and recent releases of the local music industry and on a two-month field research in Gambia. In the past the identity of Gambian musicians was related to the strict social stratification, according to which music was the exclusive domain of the griots, members of the hereditary musician caste. In the contemporary Gambian music life the identity of the musicians is greatly influenced not only by the relicts of the tradition but also by the growth of the music industry, the expansion of the mass media and arrival of tourists, which have in the course of time become the larger potential audience for local musicians. Such circumstances have led to the increasing appearance of non-griot male and female musicians, what has resulted in a keen competition between the griot and non-griot musicians, in performances for the local audience during traditional ceremonies, as well as when performing for tourists. The core of this work is articulated around the juxtaposition of the expressed attitudes of two principal female informants — the griot musician Kanku Kuyateh and the non-griot musician Ndey Nyang Njie — which show the evident differences in approach to, and contemplation about various aspects of the musical profession.

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