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Anatomy of Kuduro: Articulating the Angolan Body Politic after the War

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 December 2014

Marissa J. Moorman
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Abstract:

Kuduro, meaning “hard-ass” or “in a hard place,” is a contemporary genre of music and dance produced and consumed in Angola, especially in Luanda. This article maps kuduro historically and assesses it in its current moment. While the dance is full of invention and the genre has thrived in the informal economy, this alternative expression and the infrastructure it produces cannot be considered politically or economically liberatory. But the international “os Kuduristas” campaign promoted by two of the Angolan president’s children and companies they own shows the dangers of a culturally conservative discourse that dismisses kuduro as a vulgar popular phenomenon while hegemonic political and commercial forces embrace it.

Résumé:

Kuduro, qui signifie “dur à cuire” ou “dans une passe difficile,” est un genre contemporain de musique et de danse venant d’Angola, en particulier du Luanda. Cet article présente le Kuduro dans son évolution historique et évalue son impact actuel. Bien que la danse soit pleine d’invention et que le genre ait prospéré dans l’économie informelle, cette expression alternative et l’infrastructure qu’elle produit ne peut pas être considérée comme politiquement ou économiquement libératrice. En même temps, la campagne internationale “os Kuduristas” promue par deux des enfants du président angolais et les compagnies qu’ils possèdent, montre les dangers d’un discours culturellement conservateur qui rejette le Kuduro comme un vulgaire phénomène populaire tandis que des forces politiques et commerciales hégémoniques se l’approprient pour promouvoir leur discours.

Keywords

Musicpostwar politicsdancekuduroreconstruction
Type
ARTICLES
Information
African Studies Review , Volume 57 , Issue 3 , December 2014 , pp. 21 - 40
Copyright
Copyright © African Studies Association 2014 

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