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BalafonBeti 8-Keyed Balafon (bottom)Cameroon Wood, Fiber, Calabash, Cloth
Cameroon is home to numerous distinct ethnic groups including the Bamoun, Beti, or Ewondo. The Beti are best-known for bikutsi music, which has been popularized and become a rival for the more urban and accessible makossa of Douala. Bikutsi is characterized by a compound 6/8 rhythm, and is played at all sorts of Beti gatherings, including parties, funerals and weddings. The word bikutsi can be loosely translated as beating the ground continuously. Beti gatherings fall into two major categories: 1) Ekang phase: the time when imaginary, mythological and spiritual issues are discussed ; 2) Bikutsi phase: when real-life issues are discussed. The Ekang phase is intensely musical, and usually lasts all night. There are poetic recitations accompanied by clapping and dancing, with interludes for improvised and sometimes amazing performances on the balafon (a type of xylophone). During bikutsi, women dance and sing along with the balafon, as the lyrics focus on real-life problems. This tribal used balafon was collected by David Stiffler.
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| © Hartenberger World Music Collection |
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