Speaker: Patricia Achieng Opondo, PhD

Affiliation: University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Keynote Title: Sustaining African Music and Dance, and Revitalising Tradition: The Impact of the African Cultural Calabash Festival

Abstract:

The 19th edition of the African Cultural Calabash Festival, to be celebrated in 2024, marks a significant milestone in the ongoing journey of cultural preservation and exchange. As the founder and curator of this festival, I am honoured to present the keynote address at the upcoming Conference organized by the African and African Diasporic Music Section of the Society for Ethnomusicology. This keynote will delve into the transformative role of the African Cultural Calabash Festival in revitalizing and sustaining indigenous and traditional music and dance. The festival serves as a dynamic platform for practitioners to adapt and contemporize African musical and dance traditions, ensuring their relevance in modern contexts. This address will explore the festival’s impact on both the local communities in South Africa and its broader global resonance. Through performances, workshops, and collaborations, the festival fosters an inclusive environment where diverse cultural expressions are celebrated and exchanged. I will highlight the festival’s contributions to the enrichment of African music, dance, and culture, demonstrating how it bridges the gap between traditional heritage and contemporary practice. The session will also examine the festival’s role in fostering a global dialogue around African cultural identities, providing a blueprint for other cultural initiatives worldwide. In essence, the African Cultural Calabash Festival stands as a testament to the power of cultural exchange in preserving and promoting African heritage, while also adapting it to fit the ever-evolving musical and dance landscape.

Bio:

Patricia Achieng Opondo Applied Ethnomusicologist and Senior Lecturer in African Music and Dance at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Founder of the African Music and Dance Program at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban South Africa in 1997.   She is Director of the African Music Project, and curates the African Cultural Calabash festival which celebrates its 19^th edition in 2024.  She was appointed to the South African Ministerial Committee for the National Indigenous Music Project to formulate of a national strategy and plan for the collection, preservation and promotion of indigenous music of South Africa with the ultimate objective to re-engineer the National Sound Film and Video Archives. She is currently establishing an African Music and Dance Archive at the University.  She is a member of the International Advisory Board for MIRAS Centre for Cultural Sustainability in Istanbul, Turkey. She is member of RILM Commission Mixte. She has served on the editorial board of the African Music Journal and MUZIKI: Journal of Music Research in Africa.  Her research areas include African Music and Dance, Applied Ethnomusicology, Community Music Making, Cultural Policy, Indigenous Knowledge Systems, Digital Ethnomusicology, Women and Music.  Her teaching expertise is in African Music and Dance, Applied Ethnomusicology, Festival Curation, Cultural Policy Arts Administration and Entrepreneurship in the Arts.