Music performance aesthetics in historical and contemporary traditions : the bukusu of western Kenya

Aesthetics remains a largely under-researched area in African musicology. Whereas few scholars in the West and from Southern African nations have delved into the subject, there is still a considerable lack of published knowledge on aesthetics of African music performance. Drewal (1991:2) confirms this fact when he points out that the embodied practices and actions of performers as human agents situated in time and place in Africa – both constituting and as constituents of the ongoing social process – remain largely under-researched.  In the same breath, Agawu (2004) and Bohannan (1966) acknowledge that students of Western music aesthetics have at their disposal a large body of writings by philosophers and musicologists from which they can learn. In contrast, a similar comparable body of philosophical, critical or documentary work is not yet available to students of African music aesthetics.  Inspired by this deficiency and the need to contribute to this subject, the author carried out a research to find out what entails aesthetics of music performance in the Bukusu community of Western Kenya. The premise of the research was that the changing contexts within which Bukusu music is performed impacts on the resultant aesthetics. These resultant aesthetics are the ones that give the music meaning.  The aim of the study was also to find out how aesthetics are manifested in historical as well as contemporary contexts. Historical contexts are the ones where the music was meant to be performed, while contemporary contexts are the alternatives to the initial intent, where performance has become a norm. Consequently, the inquiry took a  comparative approach due to the changing social circumstances. The research therefore focussed on a community that still exhibits performance of music in historical and contemporary  contexts. Unlike some Kenyan communities, the Bukusu still hold onto varied traditional practices in which music plays a fundamental role. Besides the traditional contexts, the same music is also performed in alternative contexts. Bukusu music, therefore, provided a befitting field for a comparative research of this nature.  Whereas the Bukusu have a fair sense of continuity in their cultural practices, there is no assurance about how long such practices can be sustained. Notably, most of the traditional knowledge is oral and, therefore, at the risk of being eroded due to the dynamics of the current society. Such factors motivated the need to research and archive knowledge on Bukusu music because it is an intangible cultural heritage (ICH) of the community. Without documenting, the knowledge about music faces erosion.  
Moreover, there is need for a better re-presentation of Bukusu music, given that its aesthetics and knowledge systems are necessary for informing, educating and enriching the society. Arguably, when researching on African communities, their oral nature is subject to differing approaches, perceptions and interpretations. This happens especially in instances where there is no consistency between the transmitter and recipients of information.  Through a systematic approach, the research attempted to piece together this valuable knowledge for the benefit of present and future generations. Nzewi & Omollo-Ongati (2014:57) affirm the foregoing position to the effect that indigenous intellectual “fountains” remain valid in the contemporary context and are crucial for re-strengthening humanity’s conscience as well as consciousness in the global milieu.