The richness of Aka’s oral tradition has earned them a place on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. While the Aka are distinguished from other Central African societies by their sophisticated use of polyphony, their musical world also includes other vocal and instrumental expressions. All of them are firmly rooted in social and religious practices that remind us that music is not just entertainment, but also the glue that binds human beings to each other and to non-human entities. This talk will explore all these musical and symbolic aspects.

Susanne Fürniss is an ethnomusicologist at the CNRS, Paris. Her research on so-called “Pygmy” music in Central Africa and Cameroon focuses on musical grammar and the relationship between music, religion and social institutions. His current work focuses on the historical ethnomusicology of other musical cultures in Cameroon and Gabon.

Photo caption: “Tinakoka plays the Aka women’s two-string bow © S. Fürniss”.

The presentation will be given in French (possibilities in English).

In a friendly atmosphere, seated around the tables in the foyer (bar) of the Théâtre Molière, the ICTM Talks are a program of lessons on six different musical traditions and the culture from which they originate. Each of the six sessions will be devoted to a different style of music, the repertoire and the territory associated with it, and presented by specialists from the world of the arts, academia or enthusiasts of the music style in question.