Vocalist.org archive


From:  "Caio Rossi" <caiorossi@t...>
Date:  Sat Jan 19, 2002  1:48 pm
Subject:  Re: [vocalist] afropop.org

Mike, I know afropop! The point is that I also know the background
discussion about it, which doesn't generally get to the American and
European audiences. 9 out of 10 will be wearing colorful Nigerian "togas"
even if they're not Nigerian, just because that's the image your audiences
expect from them. Or they will emphasize picturesque performances on stage
like that ludicrous Carmem Miranda. Did you, for example, that she had an
almost perfect English accent, but faked a heavy one on movies, songs and
interviews just to fullfill a certain expectation from American audiences?),
etc, etc.

Paul Simon is a guy who has figure out a way to make money out of that, btw.
We have black artists here who were seduced by this fabrication too, such as
Olodum ( that percussion group that recorded with Michael Jackson for "They
don't care about us" ), Carlinhos Brown ( a walking cliche for foreign
audiences ) and Chico César ( mostly his look, not his music ).

Concerning afropop, they'll obviously say it's a natural development of
their native music. Those artists will never admit what is happening to
their culture is exactly what has always happened to their raw materials and
minerals and characterize the 3rd World economy ( sold to the industrialized
countries, where they're processed to become a product for mass
consumption ).

I'm not saying you're not supposed to like it, I do like some of that stuff,
just that that "natural development" you referred to is a lie.

Hugs,

Caio

caio wrote:

<< And there's one more thing to be considered: in order to justify
doing something that is considered by some as undesirable foreign influence,
pop musicians doing what American audiences call "world music" tend to
fabricate...etc. >>

caio,

have you actually gone to the site or, are you still just doing your
philosophy homework?

mike













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