The full intro.

I am an ethnomusicologist. There’s a lot of debate out there about what the term really means and what it is that ethnomusicologists do. After five years of graduate studies in ethnomusicology, I have to concede that I am not very sure myself how to answer those questions, but for the sake of simplicity, let us define ethnomusicology as the study of musical cultures around the world.

I am a currently at the fieldwork stage of my PhD degree in ethnomusicology at the University of Pittsburgh. My chosen research topic is post-Fela Afrobeat. By fieldwork, I mean traveling to areas of relevance to my chosen research topic—in this case, New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Lagos Nigeria, where I conduct interviews with Afrobeat musicians, attend their shows and events, and collect miscellaneous data. The broad geographical and cultural scope of my research dictates that there will be a strong comparative emphasis in my work.

This blog is dedicated to my fieldwork experiences. Here you will read about my encounters in the field, my musings—musical and extramusical, and get an insight into how the ideas I will be discussing in my dissertation are being generated and developed. You will also read about how I came to choose Afrobeat as my research topic, and of course, if you have never heard about Afrobeat, you will learn a lot about the genre.

I started my fieldwork almost 10 months ago, and throughout this time I have kept journals (at least for the most part). Although I am only beginning this blog at this time, I still have a few months of research to do, and there will be a lot to write about. Additionally, my blog will contain excerpts from my past journals and interviews where they are deemed relevant. I will also do my best to post pictures on the blog to make your reading experience more interesting!

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you will stay on board throughout this exciting experience and I look forward to your comments.

Always remember Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s words: “Egbekegbe na bad society!” (From Beast of No Nation, 1989).

Entry point: San Francisco, CA.