Anthology of the Music of Niger

Niger is a large landlocked nation of more than 26 million persons in the northwester portion of Africa, bordered by Benin and Nigeria to the south, Chad to the east, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west and Algeria and Libya to the north.  Four-fifths of the country is within the enormous Sahara Desert, so most of its people, almost totally Muslim, reside in the southern and western sections, the Sahel, with its capital, Niamey, in the southwestern corner along the river that gives the country and its neighbor their names.

This recording, another from the many released by the Ocora label in France, which ruled Niger as part of its West Africa colonies, was made in 1963, just a few years after the nation's independence, and it features thirteen pieces from various portions of the country.  This is music pared down to its essence, with soloists and ensemble vocals, a few kinds of lute and flute-type instruments, and percussion including hand-clapping.  The works reflect a variety of aspects of life for varying tribal groups in Niger and are  highly immersive and very compelling.

Topics of the songs include elements of weddings, tribal epics, a eulogy of workers like camel-drivers, a tale of a renowned hunter, religion and magic, love, praise of various kinds and the last, a remarkable one involving a game called charaou, in which a young man from the Peul people who is publicly lashed with a whip and encouraged by those observing with music and chanting to maintain his courage.  Other tribal groups represented are the Sonrai, Djerma, Touareg, and Hausa.

The percussion is often rhythmically complex and rich in its variations of sound and the instruments are also of great interest, but, for this listener, the most fascinating aspect is the great variety of vocalizations, including some remarkable solos as well as the choral work by different sized ensembles.  It was, obviously, brilliant that this music was recorded when it was, just after Niger became a new republic, though like many African nations after European colonialism, political struggles continue and are compounded by the increasingly drastic effects of climate change.  

This amazing recording captivatingly captures a great range of what was performed by tribes throughout the country and exposes those far away to incredible sound worlds greatly removed from their own.