Conference Abstracts
32. Kiwan, Nadia; Southampton University, UK:
"Maghrebi music in and beyond the post-colonial city"
Maghrebi music in and beyond the post-colonial city.
The main focus of the second paper is cultural creation in Paris
and more specifically, music and artists linked to the Maghreb.
The post-imperial city that Paris represents allows us to regard
it as a site of cultural encounter, clearly visible amongst artists
working, living or passing
through the city. Yet, there are notable differences in the relationship
between artists and their city which I shall demonstrate with a
number of case studies. For example, for groups such as l'Orchestre
National de Barbès or El-Gafla the role of Paris as a site
for encounter and cultural 'metissage' was key to their formation
and continuing success. In this sense Paris seems very much to be
a post-colonial city, in that cultural
diversity has become an almost banal aspect of cultural life in
the city. In a different manner for musicians initially based in
the Maghreb such as Cheb Khaled, Cheb Mami, Souad Massi and MBS
amongst many others, Paris tends to be regarded as a sort of 'passage
obligé' if they want to succeed in their artistic careers.
Here, it would seem that Paris is more colonial in its role. Whether
one chooses to stress the colonial or the post-colonial aspect of
the relationship between Paris and artists originating from the
Maghreb, one cannot ignore the diversity and richness of cultural
and musical life in Paris. On the other hand, our fieldwork has
shown that although the
possibilities for cultural encounter in Paris takes place amongst
artists, this is less the case for audiences. Whilst some venues
such as the Cabaret Sauvage tend to favour the social and cultural
mixing of publics from in and around Paris, many venues such as
the Zénith in Paris, amongst many others, and their organisers
are unable (or unwilling?) to encourage socio-cultural encounter.
The result is often that certain venues and organisers cater for
the tastes and expectations of the 'European-origin' audiences whilst
other venues and organisers cater solely for audiences of North
African background. Thus it would seem that it is above all, the
artists working in
Paris and elsewhere who are at the cutting edge of cultural encounter
and innovation. The context of the globalisation of cultural flows
and products further enhances certain artists' key role in altering
the traditional 'taken for granted' post-colonial relationship between
Paris and the Maghreb. This process is taking place when artists
of North African and/or sub-Saharan African origin do no longer
and not necessarily look to Paris or France in terms of their careers.
This observation is confirmed by an
increasing number of artists who are either signed or tend to tour
in other parts of Europe (notably the UK). Their activities suggest
that in some ways Paris may be losing its centrality as the post-colonial
hub for North African/African music and cultural production more
generally. The concluding part of this paper, based on case-study
interviews, will suggest reasons why this may be the case.
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