Benin: Bariba and Somba Music

The northern regions of Benin are home to the Bariba and the Somba peoples. Each has a different approach to the role of music in their culture. Within the highly hierarchical Bariba society, music is usually performed by professional musicians or griots, storytellers in ceremonies; the function of this music is to enhance the prestige and the pomp surrounding a prince or his dignitaries. For the Somba, contrastingly, music is part of everyday life, and both males and females take part in the playing and dancing. This collection of field recordings presents six examples of Bariba stories and song and six examples of Somba music and song. This album is part of the UNESCO Collection of Traditional Music.

Track Listing

101	Praise Song for Hunters Bariba griot and two male singers	03:56
102	Music Played When Setting Out for a Hunt Bariba bohu-guru (whistle) player	02:29
103	Music in Praise of Oru Suru Bariba trumpet and drum orchestra	05:57
104	Sambani, Music for Dancing Bariba griot and two male singers	02:43
105	Taru, Music for Dancing Bariba guru (whistle) player	01:49
106	A Poor Man Has No Country Bariba talking-drum ensemble	05:14
107	Dinaba, Myth of the Origins Somba soloist and chorus	06:09
108	Song for Grinding Millet Two Somba girls singing and grinding millet	05:15
109	Musotie, Harvest Dance Two Somba flute players, dancers	03:12
110	Funeral Lament Somba woman, unaccompanied	02:08
111	Song to Carry the Corpse Bier bearers during Somba funeral procession	02:07
112	Song for Grinding Karite Nuts Two women singing while grinding karite nuts	02:26