Dear Followers,
when http://musicainextenso.com/ asked me to write about African Music, I decided there's only one way to start, and that's with rhythm.
Thought it's impossible to generalize about music in Africa – it's a pretty big place – there is one aspect that is common across most of the continent, especially south of the Sahara: cross-beats or cross-rhythm.
AFRICAN CROSS-BEATS
Cross-beats are a form of polyrhythm. The New Harvard Dictionary of Music defines cross-beats as "a rhythm in which the regular pattern of accents of the prevailing meter is contradicted by a conflicting pattern and not merely a momentary displacement that leaves the prevailing meter fundamentally unchallenged." The most frequent pattern is 3:2, but various others are possible. If you want to listen to (and see a visual representation of) examples of cross-beats, this is a good site:
http://bouncemetronome.com/video-resources/polyrhythms
David Peñalosa has a lovely description of the importance of rhythm in Africa in his book The Clave Matrix, Afro-Cuban Rhythm: Its Principles and African Origins: "From the African viewpoint, the rhythms represent the very fabric of life itself; they are an embodiment of the people, symbolizing interdependence in human relationships."
Enjoy! - Today in Tokyo (who lives in Tokyo but grew up in South Africa)