Congo's Dancers

Congo's Dancers PDF Author: Lesley Nicole Braun
Publisher: University of Wisconsin Pres
ISBN: 0299340309
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 216

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Book Description
Dance music plays a central role in the cultural, social, religious, and family lives of the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Among the various genres popular in the capital city of Kinshasa, Congolese rumba occupies a special place and can be counted as one of the DRC’s most well-known cultural exports. The public image of rumba was historically dominated by male bandleaders, singers, and musicians. However, with the introduction of the danseuse (professional concert dancer) in the late 1970s, the role of women as cultural, moral, and economic actors came into public prominence and helped further raise Congolese rumba’s international profile. In Congo’s Dancers, Lesley Nicole Braun uses the prism of the Congolese danseuse to examine the politics of control and the ways in which notions of visibility, virtue, and socio-economic opportunity are interlinked in this urban African context. The work of the danseuse highlights the fact that public visibility is necessary to build the social networks required for economic independence, even as this visibility invites social opprobrium for women. The concert dancer therefore exemplifies many of the challenges that women face in Kinshasa as they navigate the public sphere, and she illustrates the gendered differences of local patronage politics that shape public morality. As an ethnographer, Braun had unusual access to the world she documents, having been invited to participate as a concert dancer herself.

Congo's Dancers

Congo's Dancers PDF Author: Lesley Nicole Braun
Publisher: University of Wisconsin Pres
ISBN: 0299340309
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 216

Get Book

Book Description
Dance music plays a central role in the cultural, social, religious, and family lives of the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Among the various genres popular in the capital city of Kinshasa, Congolese rumba occupies a special place and can be counted as one of the DRC’s most well-known cultural exports. The public image of rumba was historically dominated by male bandleaders, singers, and musicians. However, with the introduction of the danseuse (professional concert dancer) in the late 1970s, the role of women as cultural, moral, and economic actors came into public prominence and helped further raise Congolese rumba’s international profile. In Congo’s Dancers, Lesley Nicole Braun uses the prism of the Congolese danseuse to examine the politics of control and the ways in which notions of visibility, virtue, and socio-economic opportunity are interlinked in this urban African context. The work of the danseuse highlights the fact that public visibility is necessary to build the social networks required for economic independence, even as this visibility invites social opprobrium for women. The concert dancer therefore exemplifies many of the challenges that women face in Kinshasa as they navigate the public sphere, and she illustrates the gendered differences of local patronage politics that shape public morality. As an ethnographer, Braun had unusual access to the world she documents, having been invited to participate as a concert dancer herself.

Dancing in the Glory of Monsters

Dancing in the Glory of Monsters PDF Author: Jason Stearns
Publisher: PublicAffairs
ISBN: 1610391594
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 412

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Book Description
A "tremendous," "intrepid" history of the devastating war in the heart of Africa's Congo, with first-hand accounts of the continent's worst conflict in modern times. At the heart of Africa is the Congo, a country the size of Western Europe, bordering nine other nations, that since 1996 has been wracked by a brutal war in which millions have died. In Dancing in the Glory of Monsters, renowned political activist and researcher Jason K. Stearns has written a compelling and deeply-reported narrative of how Congo became a failed state that collapsed into a war of retaliatory massacres. Stearns brilliantly describes the key perpetrators, many of whom he met personally, and highlights the nature of the political system that brought these people to power, as well as the moral decisions with which the war confronted them. Now updated with a new introduction, Dancing in the Glory of Monsters tells the full story of Africa's Great War.

Democratic Republic of Congo in Pictures

Democratic Republic of Congo in Pictures PDF Author: Francesca Davis DiPiazza
Publisher: Twenty-First Century Books
ISBN: 0822585723
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 84

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Book Description
Presents a photographic introduction to the land, history, government, economy, people, and culture of the African nation of Democratic Republic of Congo.

From the Kingdom of Kongo to Congo Square

From the Kingdom of Kongo to Congo Square PDF Author: Jeroen Dewulf
Publisher: University of Louisiana
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Book Description
"This book presents a provocatively new interpretation of one of New Orleans's most enigmatic traditions--the Mardi Gras Indians. By interpreting the tradition in an Atlantic context, Dewulf traces the 'black Indians' back to the ancient Kingdom of Kongo and its war dance known as sangamento. He shows that good warriors in the Kongo kingdom were per definition also good dancers, masters of a technique of dodging, spinning, and leaping that was crucial in local warfare. Enslaved Kongolese brought the rhythm, dancing moves, and feathered headwear of sangamentos to the Americas in performances that came to be known as 'Kongo dances.' By comparing Kongo dances on the African island of Saao Tomae with those in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Louisiana, Dewulf demonstrates that the dances in New Orleans's Congo Square were part of a much broader Kongolese performance tradition. He links that to Afro-Catholic mutual-aid societies that honored their elected community leaders or 'kings' with Kongo dances. While the public rituals of these brotherhoods originally thrived in the context of Catholic procession culture around Epiphany and Corpus Christi, they transitioned to carnival as a result of growing orthodoxy within the Church. Dewulf's groundbreaking research suggests a much greater impact of Kongolese traditions and of popular Catholicism on the development of African American cultural heritage and identity. His conclusions force us to radically rethink the traditional narrative on the Mardi Gras Indians, the kings of Zulu, and the origins of black participation in Mardi Gras celebrations"--Provided by publisher.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo PDF Author: Debbie Nevins
Publisher: Cavendish Square Publishing, LLC
ISBN: 1502636395
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 144

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Book Description
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the largest and most populous country in Central Africa. Its history has been marred by almost continuous war, and the Congolese people have long suffered through political tumult. Largely covered in dense rain forests, the country, also known as Congo-Kinshasa, is traversed by the Congo River, a lifeline that transports Congolese merchants with barges filled with fruit, grains, and bushmeat to local villages. Allow your readers to explore the vibrant culture and lush landscape of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in this book, which features informative sidebars and engaging color photographs.

Congo Square in New Orleans

Congo Square in New Orleans PDF Author: Jerah Johnson
Publisher: Pelican Publishing Company, Inc.
ISBN: 9781879714069
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 64

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Book Description
A detailed history of a New Orleans landmark. Congo Square is an iconic location in New Orleans culture, filled with the echoes of jazz and the footsteps of modern dance. Brimming with the rich history of the city, this auspicious landmark traces its origins back to the 1740s. A popular gathering place for African-Americans, the square hosted public markets, musical events, and even the Congo Circus throughout its history. Johnson's detailed analysis of the development of the landmark places the deep-set culture of both the African-American community and the roots of New Orleans music firmly in the heart of Congo Square.

A Dance of Assassins

A Dance of Assassins PDF Author: Allen F. Roberts
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 0253007437
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 327

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Book Description
A Dance of Assassins presents the competing histories of how Congolese Chief Lusinga and Belgian Lieutenant Storms engaged in a deadly clash while striving to establish hegemony along the southwestern shores of Lake Tanganyika in the 1880s. While Lusinga participated in the east African slave trade, Storms' secret mandate was to meet Henry Stanley's eastward march and trace "a white line across the Dark Continent" to legitimize King Leopold's audacious claim to the Congo. Confrontation was inevitable, and Lusinga lost his head. His skull became the subject of a sinister evolutionary treatise, while his ancestral figure is now considered a treasure of the Royal Museum for Central Africa. Allen F. Roberts reveals the theatricality of early colonial encounter and how it continues to influence Congolese and Belgian understandings of history today.

Slave Life in Rio de Janeiro, 1808-1850

Slave Life in Rio de Janeiro, 1808-1850 PDF Author: Mary C. Karasch
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691656991
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 448

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Book Description
Rio de Janeiro in the first half of the nineteenth century had the largest population of urban slaves in the Americas—primary contributors to the atmosphere and vitality of the city. Although most urban historians have ignored these inhabitants of Rio, Mary Karasch's generously illustrated study provides a comprehensive description and analysis of the city's rich Afro-Cariocan culture, including its folklore, its songs, and accounts of its oral history. Professor Karasch's investigation of the origins of Rio's slaves demonstrates the importance of the "Central Africaness" of the slave population to an understanding of its culture. Challenging the thesis of the comparative mildness of the Brazilian slave system, other chapters discuss the marketing of Africans in the Valongo, the principal slave market, and the causes of early slave mortality, including the single greatest killer, tuberculosis. Also examined in detail are adaptation and resistance to slavery, occupations and roles of slaves in an urban economy, and art, religion, and associational life. Mary C. Karasch is Associate Professor of History at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. Originally published in 1987. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Moon Central America

Moon Central America PDF Author: Avalon Travel
Publisher: Moon Travel
ISBN: 1631214160
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 6401

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Book Description
An ebook exclusive, Moon Central America combines Moon's full-length guides to seven Central American countries into one comprehensive digital guide. Moon Central America includes the following country guides: Moon Belize Moon Costa Rica Moon El Salvador Moon Guatemala Moon Honduras & the Bay Islands Moon Nicaragua Moon Panama For each country, you'll find trustworthy advice from Moon's experienced travel authors. Professional photographer Al Argueta compiles the best places to take in Guatemala's awe-inspiring volcanoes, and adventure traveler Amy Robertson shares her list of Honduras's best places to get face-to-face with nature—from caves to cloud forests. If you're dreaming of a Central American trip of any length or mix of destinations, Moon Central America is the travel companion for you.

Perspectives on Dance Fusion in the Caribbean and Dance Sustainability

Perspectives on Dance Fusion in the Caribbean and Dance Sustainability PDF Author: Aminata Cairo
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1527541169
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 295

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Book Description
This volume examines the theme of fusion in Caribbean dance from a wide range of perspectives, including its socio-cultural-historical formation. The contributions are drawn from a conference entitled “Caribbean Fusion Dance Works: Rituals of Modern Society”, which focused primarily on the Caribbean as a unique locale. However, chapters on dance fusions in other diasporic locations and the sustainability of dance as an art form are also included here in order to offer a sense of an inevitable and, in some instances, desirable evolution due to the globalizing forces that continue to influence dance.