Event overview
Citizenly Engagement and the Poetics of Development in Dinka Cattle Songs in South Sudan
Citizenly Engagement and the Poetics of Development in Dinka Cattle Songs in South Sudan
Political historians frequently described the civil wars in Sudan as ‘a theater of proliferating conflicts’. While the 2005 Peace Accord closed the curtain on one act, Independence of South Sudan in 2011 has given rise to a new performative discourse, depicted through war-induced poverty, weak government capacity and rising levels of internecine violence. While the government and its international development partners may be focused on state- and infrastructural building, this presentation attends to the less articulated script of nation-building, listening in on the aspirations and anxieties of the people themselves as they make sense of the transition from violent past to civil society. Drawing on Ong’s notion of ‘cultural citizenship’, the presentation examines ways in which Dinka cattle songs excavate spaces for imaginative and pragmatic citizenly engagement by infusing old performance structures with new actors, concerns and imaginaries.
Biography: Angela Impey lectures ethnomusicology at SOAS, University of London, and is convenor of the MA Music in Development. Her research addresses music as oral history and focuses specifically on the politics of land, natural resources and belonging in southern Africa and South Sudan.
All welcome, not just for graduates!
Dates & times
| Date | Time | Add to calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Feb 2014 | 5:00pm - 6:00pm |
Accessibility
If you are attending an event and need the College to help with any mobility requirements you may have, please contact the event organiser in advance to ensure we can accommodate your needs.
