Pop Music in Africa

　　Young musicians in African countries are creating a new kind of pop music. The tunes and the rhythms of their music combine African traditions with various forms of music popular today, such as hip-hop, rap, rock, jazz, or reggae. The result is music that may sound familiar to listeners anywhere in the world, but at the same time is distinctly African. It is different also in another way: Many of the songs are very serious and they deal with important social or political issues in Africa today.

　　Eric Wainaina is one of these African musicians. He grew up in Nairobi, Kenya, in a family of musicians. As a teenager, he listened to pop music from the United States, and later he moved to Boston to study at the Berklee College of Music. Now he has produced a CD in Kenya. Eric's most popular song, "Land of ‘A Little Something’” is about Kenya's problem of bribery, or paying others for illegal favors. He wants people to listen to his songs and think about how to make Kenya a better place to live.

　　Another musician who writes serious songs is Witness Mwaijaga from Tanzania. Her own experiences have helped her understand the suffering of many African women. At the age of fifteen she lost her home, but she was luckier than other homeless young people. She could make a living by writing songs and singing on the street. By the time she was eighteen years old, she had become a star. Her songs are written in rap or hip-hop style about the problems that she sees in Tanzania, especially AIDS and the lack of rights for women1.

　　Baaba Maal, from Senegal, also feels that pop music must go beyond entertainment. He says that in Senegal, storytellers have always been important people. In the past, they were the ones who kept the history of their people alive. Baaba believes that songwriters now have a similar responsibility. They must write about the world around them and help people understand how it could be better. The words of his songs are important, in fact. They speak of peace and cooperation among Africans, as well as the rights of women, love for one' s family, and saving the environment2.

　　One of South Africa's most popular musicians is Brenda Fassie. She is sometimes compared to Madonna, the American pop star, because she likes to shock people in her shows. But she also likes to make people think. She became famous in the 1980s for her simple pop songs against apartheid. Now that apartheid has ended, her songs are about other issues in South African culture and life. To sing about these, she uses local African languages and a new pop style called kwaito.

　　In recent years, people outside of Africa have also begun to listen to these young musicians. Through music, the younger generation of Africans are connecting with the rest of the world and, at the same time, influencing the rest of the world.

　　詞匯：

　　reggae  n. 瑞格舞(西印度群島的舞曲)

　　bribery   n. 行賄，賄賂

　　apartheid   n. 種族隔離

　　注釋：

　　1. Her songs are written in rap or hip-hop style about the problems that she sees in Tanzania, especially AIDS and the lack of rights for women. 她用嘻哈和說唱的風格寫歌，歌曲的內容是 坦桑尼亞的各種問題，特別是艾滋和女性權利的缺失。

　　2. They speak of peace and cooperation among Africans, as well as the rights of women, love for one's family, and saving the environment. 他倡導在非洲要和平與協作，同時也包括婦女權利、熱愛家庭和保護環境。

　　練習：

　　1. This passage is about how African pop music is_______.

　　A) usually about love and romance

　　B) more serious than most pop music

　　C) popular with young people in Africa

　　D) mostly written just for entertainment

　　2. For people outside of Africa, African pop music is _______.

　　A) the same as other pop music

　　B) not usually very interesting

　　C) entirely strange to them

　　D) both familiar and different

　　3. The musicians mentioned in this passage all_______.

　　A) write about serious problems

　　B) studied in the United States

　　C) lost their homes at a young age

　　D) write songs in a new pop style

　　4. Eric Wainaina_______.

　　A) prefers to sing in English

　　B) listened to traditional music

　　C) studied music in Boston

　　D) performs only in the United States

　　5. Witness Mwaijaga writes about the problem of women partly because_______.

　　A) she was had a difficult life herself

　　B) there are many problems in Tanzania

　　C) she has had an easy life herself

　　D) there are no other women singers

　　答案與題解：

　　1. B 本題的問題是：非洲流行音樂的不同之處是什么?由第一段倒數第一句可以得出答案。“It is different also in another way : Many of the songs are very serious and they deal with important social or political issues in Africa today.” A,D項錯誤，C項未提及。

　　2.D 本題的問題是：對于非洲以外的人來說，非洲流行音樂給他們的感覺是什么?從第一段可以得出答案。“The result is music that may sound familiar to listeners anywhere in the world , but at the same time is distinctly Afican.”故正確選項為D。

　　3. A 本題的問題是：全文所提到的音樂家的共同的特點是什么?總覽全文可以得出結論。全文通篇在講有關社會和政治等嚴肅主題的音樂，故正確答案為A。B,C,D都有明顯的錯誤。

　　4. C 本題的問題是：Eric Wainaina的成長細節。由第二段可以得出答案。“…and later he moved to Boston to study at the Berklee College of Music.” 其余選項均有錯誤。

　　5. A 本題的問題是：Witness Mwaijaga 寫有關女人的問題的原因是什么?答案在第三段第二句“Her own experiences have helped her understand the suffering of many African women.”明顯可見是她有切身經歷。所以正確答案為A。