Dialogues in Music
The Dialogue
Project (involving Africa and other regions of the
world) was launched during the Second Biennial
International Symposium and Festival on “Composition
in Africa and the Diaspora” which took place at
Churchill College, Cambridge in August 2003. Scholars,
performers, and a composer, from China, Malaysia, Korea,
and India took part in the event. The project received a
boost in May/June 2004 when Akin Euba visited the Central
Conservatory of Music (CCOM) in Beijing to give lectures on
the composers of Africa and the Diaspora. This was followed
by a full-fledged symposium and festival hosted by the CCOM
from 16-21 October 2005, whose themes were:
1. Dialogue between China and Africa
2. Halim El-Dabh Symposium
The event was attended by over 30
participants from China and over 27 from abroad. The
program comprised scholarly papers, lectures, workshops,
and live concerts. The concerts included Daolang Muqam of
Xinjiang Province, Traditional Music of the Yunnan
Minorities, Traditional Chinese Ensemble of Hebei Province,
and a program of modern music for traditional instruments
by Chinese composers. There was a special concert devoted
to the music of Halim El-Dabh and another featuring piano
music by composers of Africa and the Diaspora.
The president of the CCOM, Professor Wang
Cizhao, addressed the Closing Ceremony. Comments received
from participants who attended the Beijing symposium and
festival testify to the brilliant success of the event.
The fourth Biennial International
Symposium and Festival on “Composition in Africa and
the Diaspora”, taking place at Churchill College,
Cambridge from 1-4 August 2007, will feature special items
titled “Africa Meets Asia” and “Africa
Meets Latin America.”