AFRICAN

CHANTS AND
POEMS
 AFRICA’S CHANTS OR SONGS AND
POEMS
-Living testaments of how important music is to the african's daily lives in
Africa's oral tradition.
- Created by different tribal groups to keep them company in doing their
chores.
- Designated for specific tasks or chores which the tribal groups recite as
they perform these.
 CHANT
- Originated from the French word chanter.
- It is measured or rhythmic singing or reciting.
- Lyrics are repetitive, rhythmical and common.
- They are sung without any accompaniment except a drum which
keeps to the rhythmic movements and sounds don by solo or group
performers.
- This may not indicate the specific work being performed.
 HUNTING CHANTS OR
POEMS
- Sung or recited to express the hazards and the
uncontrolled thrill that a hunter experiences when
hunting for wild game.
- These are expressions of praise, pride, honor and
glory accorded to the hunter by the villagers or the
hunter himself as he makes a successful kill.
 AGRICULTURAL WORK SONGS OR
CHANTS
- Mostly associated with farm work like tilling the
soil, planting, harvesting, and threshing.
- These songs/poems help the workers to ease the
monotony of exhausting and boring manual labor, to
express their sentiments and frustrations, to speed up
their work, and to stir up team effort and support.
 CALL AND RESPONSE
- The most common style of chanting and reciting
among the different African ethnic groups.
- This kind of chanting is carried out by a leader who
calls out a verse or a yell and others respond.
- The drum is used to accompany the groups in their
chanting.