I’ve been watching videos of some very talented white people from the U.S.A. and the United Kingdom singing songs in those TV talent contests. It strikes me again that these (mostly young) people, and all of us the world over, owe an enormous cultural debt to people whose ancestry traces to Africa. You hear it in voices that try to emulate the rhythm, emphases, glissando, and passion of African-American voices. You can see it in hand gestures that are copied directly from American hip-hop artists and singers. My own music, decidedly under the radar, owes a debt to Mississippi John Hurt, Etta Baker, Big Bill Broonzy, Lesley Riddle, and many other greats. I can’t repay that debt, but I can, and do, acknowledge it every time I play to my small audiences.
Recently, debates have been raging about the issue of cultural appropriation. I don’t want to get too deeply into that, because my feeling is that music, particularly American music is what it is because of the cross-fertilization between European influences, African influences, Latino influences, and other world music. It’s a blessing. What I would like to see is credit given where and when it is due. That’s all.
There is an economic corollary. An argument can be made that the enormous prosperity of America was built on the labor of slaves abducted from Africa. This debt has never been repaid, and every attempt at coming close is met with enormous resistance from the white power structure. That same power structure refuses to even acknowledge the debt.
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