Nationalists, Cosmopolitans, and Popular Music in Zimbabwe (Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology)

Rating:
Summary: Seems important, but too cold, remote
Review: I borrowed this book. The title appealed to me. Well it is interesting and seems important : the importance of true African music (instead of white, alien soul-killing stuff). But it is too cold, only white thinking, the man has no feeling for the black soul, it is a white who writes for whites, and sees African things from far, his own soul not being in touch with the African soul. I could not finish the book, was too boring. I hope to find a book on this subject written by a brother.

Rating:
Summary: comprehensive, but reader be advised
Review: This book deservedly stands as the most comprehensive treatment of Zimbabwean popular music in the latter half of the 20th century. Over the years Rhodesian and then Zimbabwean authorities maintained amazingly complete archives of recordings and various governmental initiatives, even regional festivals, so Turino could draw upon an enviable treasure trove of material. With such a wealth of information the author is able to precisely document productions and events too often dependent in other countries upon fading memories and contradictory stories of authorship, etc. While the book cannot offer an accompanying CD, much of the relevant music is fairly easily available.
Three important points a reader should keep in mind:
1.) The history is engrossing but the writing style is overly dense and turgid. General readers should not take this as a necessary evil of an in-depth research volume by a specialist. There are many examples of clear and engaging writing in ethnomusicology (like the equally comprehensive treatment of Bulgarian music by Tim Rice, May It Fill Your Soul, for ex.), so don't let this one alienate you from others.
2.) The relatively small but influential part of Zimbabwe's population that can be termed middle sectors (for ex., with at least some access to institutional western education) receive unfair treatment throughout the book, especially the accusations singled out for Thomas Mapfumo. Ron Zapolsky details some of this in his book review in the magazine The Beat (v.20, #2, 2001). Turino, despite having lived several months in Zimbabwe, dismisses the very real threats on Mapfumo's life by the corrupt dictatorship of Mugabe; he goes so far as to ridicule Mapfumo's forced move into exile in the U.S. When one reads this one has to ask: and the author, Turino, isn't he in a nice safe university town in the same United Sates? Considering the violence that has only escalated against any opposition in Zimbabwe since this book was published, this chip-on-the-shoulder attitude against members of the middle class (broadly defined) is strange and, unfortunately, skews much of the data and analysis.
3.) For those familiar with the field of ethnomusicology this book confirms a regrettable pattern that has emerged in Turino's writings: a failure to acknowledge obvious intellectual precursors and give them their due.
a.) In his otherwise excellent first book, Moving Away from Silence (on the musical consequences of pan pipe playing when the rural tradition migrates into Peru's sprawling capital city), Turino plainly built upon the contributions of Americo Valencia. Dr. Valencia is one of Peru's foremost ethnomusicologists, who has carefully documented the same pan pipe tradition in many writings, including two books listed in Turino's bibliography. Peruvian ethnomusicologists who have studied here in the U.S. have pointedly criticized Turino's false self-portrayal of "trail blazing" that ignores work by "locals" (in the journal Latin American Music Review, fall/win 1999, and spr/summer 2001).
b.) Unfortunately, the problem is a bit more deeper than ignoring "native scholars." Turino wrote the extensive article on music of the Quechua-speaking people of the Andean highlands in The Garland Encyclopedia (ethnomusicology's first, and so far definitive reference work) where the essential contributions on exactly that topic by Andean expert John Schechter are inexplicably missing; Schechter doesn't even warrant a mention in the bibliography (which is specifically designed to be comprehensive for further research).
c.) Now in "Nationalist, Cosmopolitans...." the reader would imagine that Turino must be the first to elucidate such major issues as using music to create a pan-ethnic national identity and the key role of middle sectors in that project. There are several precursors in the field in this regard, most notably an article on music and nationalism in Ethnomusicology (the field's flagship journal) that appeared in 1999 just before Turino began writing his book (the article's examples drew on Nicaraguan history, written by ethnomusicologist T.M. Scruggs). This omission is so blatant that a joke has been circulating within ethnomusicology: Scruggs's article on music and nationalism is to Turino's book as the indie film "El Mariachi" is to the big Hollywood production "Desperado," that is, a large movie tycoon utilizes primary ideas of an underfunded indie film but doesn't acknowledge his debt to it.
Such problems at the level of an individual scholar's integrity might not appear to have much direct bearing on the average reader, yet they raise issues of a certain lack of control of the author's ego that does intersect with something important and relevant: this book's demeaning of some of Zimbabwe's most talented and courageous cultural figures. This unfortunate attitude will become apparent to readers of various backgrounds, and astute ones will be able to adjust accordingly and still appreciate the wealth of detail and historical documentation of what will probably remain the most complete book on the subject for many years to come.