"On The Edge of the Ituri Forest" - various artists

various artists
front cover
  • artist:various artists
  • featured artist:Chief Baonoko, Mwongolo Katsuba
  • region:Central Africa
  • release year:1998
  • style(s):Ethnic, Traditional
  • country:Congo (Democratic Republic of the)
  • formats:CD (Compact Disc)
  • record posted by:SWP Records
  • label:SWP Records
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On this album we feature recordings made in 1952 on the eastern and northeastern edges of the great Ituri rainforest, where Mbuti pygmies came out of the forest to barter meat and honey for manioc and other products with the Nande, Bira, Mangbele and Budu - Bantu peoples living on the edge of the forest. These recordings reveal something of the 'special relationship' between the pygmies and their neighbours, with on the one hand Mbuti playing on flutes borrowed from the Nande, Mbuti playing on drums borrowed from the Mangbele, and on the other hand the obvious influence the pygmies had for example on the music of the Budu. The edge of this forest was the scene not only of economic interaction but also of musical interaction. Music from another world!