Evaluation of music in Zambia: Chibale

Evaluation of music in Chibale, Zambia. This article introduces a series of articles exploring how people in Chibale evaluate music, what they value most about music and dance, and why.¹We present the research for these articles in Ways of working for uncovering underlying principles.

People in Chibale discern what is worth evaluating from what is not in the following way:

Some things cannot be done right or wrong, like walking along the road.
Other things can be done right or wrong, like cooking.
And then there are things that can be done better or worse than others, like hunting, healing, and performing music and dance.

We examine evaluative judgements about music and dance. Why is something right or wrong? When is a performance better or worse than another? What are the underlying themes of these judgements?

We compare the preferences and the judgements within two periods, the 1980s and the 2000s, and between these periods. Regarding the latter, we will see, for instance, that musical judgements about the effect of music and dance, especially on a personal level, have become most important. Conversely, judgements about the structural and notably changeable features of music and dance have become less important. 

Effectiveness is the most important thing when it comes to songs, dances, and gatherings. Al teaching text or action (kufunda) is also there for its effect, as it motivates you to do something better or differently.
BanaNshimbi ∵ personal communication, 1987.

Proverb 153²Example from the proverb book Amano mambulwa.³Photo 121.

Studying evaluation

Evaluation of music in Chibale, Zambia. Nketia⁴Nketia (1984: 4). while writing about the aesthetic dimensions of ethno­musicological studies felt obliged to caution fellow music researchers. “Aesthetics of music must concern itself not only with enquiry in general philosophical terms, but also with empirical studies of aesthetic principles in the variety of musical expressions in oral and written traditions cultivated in different regions of the world.”
The articles in this series on the evaluation of music in Zambia are the result of an empirical study of the evaluation of music in Chibale. We wanted to gain insight into forms of musical evaluation and into the different types of musical preferences and judgements. We also studied the relations between these types.
We collected data on musical preferences and judgements through qualitative research between 1981 and 2013 and in three surveys held in 1985/86, 1987, and 2004.

A guided tour of the evaluation of music in Chibale

Evaluation of music in Chibale, Zambia. If you want to read all articles about the evaluation of music in Chibale, we suggest you read them in the following order.

In the last 60 years, the appreciation of local and external cultural expressions in Chibale has fluctuated. This article provides a short overview of these fluctuations.

We discuss the different ways in which music is evaluated in Chibale.

What is considered a mistake in music performance? One of these mistakes, not sustaining the last tone of the chorus melody, needs some further explanation.

In Chibale, the right to the benefits of the application of a skill is a concern. What about this when it comes to music and dance? And, what about popularity in music and dance? Success and popularity are interrelated, but they are not the same. Success concerns the effectiveness, for example ritual effectiveness, of one’s performance while popularity pertains to the public response to and need for one’s performance.

Then we turn to preferences for and judgements about songs, dances and performers.

Preferences for songs, dances, and performers

Judgements about songs

Judgements about dances

And, Judgements about performers

And conclude the series with The evaluation of music in Chibale: conclusion.