A very good
reason
 |
| Michael Jackson's Off the Wall album |
I once watched a documentary that chronicled the evolution of
the electric guitar. In conclusion, it said that, when the instrument finally
evolved to its present sophistication, it brought down the Soviet Union.
For those who never experienced the full power of music, that
conclusion (that the instrument brought down communism) would sound like a
hyperbole, but the statement actually meant it
in a literal sense.
What gave America that boundless influence had been its
cultural appeal. American culture represented the difference between America
and other advanced nations like Germany, Japan, France and the others in their
ranks. American music and movies had
been the leading cultural element of America that charmed the rest of the
world. Of these, music stood out more. Unlike the movies, music is understood
even without the understanding of the language used. It gives credence to the
popular saying, “music is a universal language.”
While America’s music strength lasted, the radio stations in
my own part of the world gave over ninety per cent of airtime to western music.
Of this percentage, more than eighty per cent was American music or music
inspired by American music.
One thing with American music is the fact that it evolves
very fast. You listen to an artist today, and next year, when he comes out with
a new album, the style is radically different from what it was the previous
year. In the last decade and a half, though, the music evolved so fast that the
rest of the world couldn’t keep pace. The end product is music that the rest of
the world can’t relate to. And while one thinks that all Americans will be able
to relate to any music that is American, it is shocking to hear that even many
Americans aren’t relating to their own modern music. What do you expect of the
rest of the world?
The moment the world failed to see the essence of American
contemporary music, a void was created. Here in Africa, the youth, empowered by
computers and software, started occupying the voids American music created.
They made music that local folks could relate to. In the radio stations, they
took over the airwaves. I watched on BBC television when Tiwa Savage, Nigerian
music diva, talked proudly of how Nigerian music successfully took over the
radio stations from “foreign music.” She was saying what all of us had known
for over a decade.
If music made America very visible to the rest of the world,
it is only natural that the rare presence of American music abroad would mean
that American greatness is at the point of disappearing behind the corner. Out
of sight is out of mind.
