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African American music is strongly rooted in African spirituality. It has always been a means to document the history of enslaved Africans in America. This music that originally pervades all aspects of African life maintains its traditions in African American culture. But, it has been transformed to serve political thinking and nationalistic strategies for African American leaders. As historical documents, music allowed African Americans to deal with their experiences from slavery to freedom to post civil rights struggle. This work shows how African Americans have used their music and aesthetics as an African heritage and transformed it through centuries in their political struggle for liberty and equal rights in America.
About the author
Mamadou Diang Diallo is Doctor in Comparative English Studies, specialized in African and Afro-American Studies. He is a part-time lecturer in the English Department at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar. He is the author of two collections of poems, a book on the history of Afro-American music and published several multidisciplinary articles.
