Indigenous African Music: A Descriptive Analysis of Mmino wa Setšo from a Northern Sotho Perspective

Abstract

Mmino wa setšo has been interpreted from different angles. Most notably, these schools of thought are interpretative, but with a considerable amount of misrepresentation. As such the efforts of bringing this and similar genres to the centre of scholarship are undermined. Drawing from interviews, observations and discussions with practitioners of the genre, this article attempts to proffer a descriptive analysis of mmino wa setšo. Whereas the presentation is in scholarly prose, the wish is to remain honest to the initial intentions and ideations of the practitioners. Cognisant of the discrepencies that still need to be addressed, this paper is an attempt at a type of African musicology, which seeks to capture the essence of the abstractions of the practitioners.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n20p2211