Indigenization of the music curriculum through Maskandi as a learning programme in two selected South African universities
Student population in most African universities is predominantly black Africans, but the curricula at most of these universities is still dominated by Western epistemologies and knowledge instead of being dealt with in combination with indigenous knowledge. This study aimed to investigate and suggest an alternative way in which indigenous musical arts can have equal value as Western music by incorporating local styles and tradition such as Maskandi as a learning programme. Indigenizing the music curricula has the benefit of moving indigenous musical arts from the periphery and also contributing positively towards preserving, documenting and promoting heritage of the marginalized communities in South Africa. This qualitative study suggests indigenization of the music curriculum by adding Maskanda as a learning program. This study selected two South African universities to investigate the dominance of Eurocentric world view in music education. The study used Ethnomusicology and Constructivism as theoretical frameworks which underpin the study. Interpretivist paradigm was adopted as an appropriate paradigm for the study. Data was solicited through semi-structured interviews, document analysis and observations. Participants in the study included Music education teachers from both selected universities and Maskanda musicians selected from rural communities. The study revealed that although indigenization has been endorsed by the Department of Higher Education and Training, implementation has been poor because of various reasons such as shortage of resources, inadequate Afrocentric theories and pedagogies and a long history of Eurocentric indoctrination. The study suggested that the involvement of Maskanda musicians can contribute positively in minimizing shortage of human resources. The study recommended that more work be done to explore appropriate Afrocentric pedagogies for teaching and learning of African musical arts at tertiary level.
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