West African music taught by a white (British) man

[thehighsandthelows]

Traditional West African drumming taught to some children. I was surprised to see a white man show up. Maybe naively I expected someone West African. Research shows mainly white, British employees. Some African performers featured. A lot of praise for traditional African music and reference to the training they have received in West Africa. It doesn't sit right with me but can't find similar opinions voiced? No one else seemed remotely surprised?! Lots of praise for them and positivity. Bookings for celebrating black history months! With no one black in the photos!! Grateful for any views.

If he’s a good teacher and the best person for the job it would be wrong imo to discriminate against him based on skin colour. Just because he is a white Londoner doesn’t mean he has less authentic experience or knowledge of west African drumming than a black Londoner.

Forestdad Black people have been in Italy ( and Europe) since Roman times ( at the very least). What's with the Vienna violin whataboutery? And a link to a black orchestra? Just why?

You think it's amazing black people can play the violin and suggest that you don't have any problems with it? Sheesh. Thanks. Violinist here. Cringing for you.

Keeping calm and fiddling on.

Ths thread is both awful and hilarious.

I'll leave all the non black people to chudder on amongst themselves now in their whataboutery. It's kinda crowded here.

I completely agree with OP. It's just cringeful really. Similar kind of thing is traditional dance, be it African or Asian. Always some white woman running it. Or Capoeira, which you'd think they'd know better, run by a white man.
I think I know why it annoys me. It's because you need a certain amount of self confidence to put yourself forward and run a class. You have to believe that what you have to teach is interesting and important enough to have people listen and participate. It's about a type of self confidence that, let's be honest, needs to be much higher that average if your skin is slightly darker or your name clearly isn't English. So seeing a white person " swanning in" never questioning why they managed to get this role, is annoying.
It isn't important that the teacher. They could be a good teacher but something will be missing, an intangible thing that comes from being authentic.

@CayrolBaaaskin

If he’s a good teacher and the best person for the job it would be wrong imo to discriminate against him based on skin colour. Just because he is a white Londoner doesn’t mean he has less authentic experience or knowledge of west African drumming than a black Londoner.

Music is deeply linked to culture and heritage - even more so when, unlike western and especially English-language music, it is less well known globally.

Do you think that someone from Gabon who spoke no English or Gaelic and came to the Scotland once to visit Glasgow for a one week course would be as authentic a teacher of 'British Dancing' (doesn't that sound weird? But west Africa is literally separate countries) as someone who actually grew up in a Scottish family where music and dance was a part of their upbringing and heritage?

@OverTheRubicon - im not aware of “British Dancing” as a thing, there are different traditions of dance within the British isles (same as west Africa I presume- don’t know what op means by that exactly).

But your example isn’t relevant- op objects to the teachers skin colour not his knowledge or experience or background. I would have no objection to a teacher teaching eg traditional Irish or Scottish music on the basis of their skin colour. And I would think that anyone who did so object is racist.

@TheBlackDarner - how do you know who is black on an anonymous Internet forum?

Ops first post actually says the white music teacher has had training in west Africa. She doesn’t at all object to his experience (or at least doesn’t say she does). Just the colour of his skin.

I would hardly it's the norm here .

I dip in and out of this section . Mainly to see a differant perspective on things. There is very little/almost no anti-white sentiment here or atleast I'm not reading it that way

I do wonder if the man playing the music had been black ,would she question his heritage?

I'd say that although it would be better if there was an African musician who could deliver this teaching. But given the reality that the number of such teachers is undoubtedly very small in Britain, especially in certain areas, isn't it better that the children are being taught about a variety of music from different cultures rather than only European classical music?

I do wonder if the man playing the music had been black ,would she question his heritage?

Likely because no black person would say "West African" drumming. They would know to say a country or an ethnic group.

As a PP pointed out it is like saying "British dance" or "British pipe" music when you are actually talking about Scotland.

@RedWingBoots

I do wonder if the man playing the music had been black ,would she question his heritage?

Likely because no black person would say "West African" drumming. They would know to say a country or an ethnic group.

As a PP pointed out it is like saying "British dance" or "British pipe" music when you are actually talking about Scotland.

Ok thanks for clearing that up.

I meant no disrespect, I was just asking a question

Thank you for answering

[quote CayrolBaaaskin]@TheBlackDarner - how do you know who is black on an anonymous Internet forum?[/quote]
There are regular posters in this section.

And even when posters aren't regular posters in this section there are ways to check they haven't appeared just to troll.

Some white people seem to think that the shit they have given and give out to black people will be returned, if black people have more power in society. We have better things to do with our time.

Ooh the big, bad Black mumsnetters are racist to White people and it's all their fault that racism hasn't gone away.

Like some people like to say: If we're so bad, I guess you could simply stop hanging around here. It's not like you have to anyway.

[quote CayrolBaaaskin]@OverTheRubicon - im not aware of “British Dancing” as a thing, there are different traditions of dance within the British isles (same as west Africa I presume- don’t know what op means by that exactly).

But your example isn’t relevant- op objects to the teachers skin colour not his knowledge or experience or background. I would have no objection to a teacher teaching eg traditional Irish or Scottish music on the basis of their skin colour. And I would think that anyone who did so object is racist.[/quote]
'West African drumming' literally is a taught course. You're right that 'British Dance' is not a thing, that's the whole point.

A black person in the UK teaching Irish dance would almost certainly have been raised in the relevant country and to a large or at least some degree of the tradition.

That's why I used the example of someone coming here for a week, then going back to another country as a specialist in a local tradition.

@OverTheRubicon - nonone is claiming to have gone anywhere for a week except in your example. Op objects to a music teacher (who would appear to be suitably qualified) because of the colour of their skin. An analogous situation would be objecting to a suitably qualified teacher of Irish traditional dance because they are black. Of course that happens but when it does it’s racism.

@PutTheSinkInTheWashingMachine - racism is unacceptable and imo should be challenged wherever it arises.

@RedWingBoots - if they post here or not how do you know if they are black? I may not really be Carol Baskin you know.

@Seemslikeagoodidea

Surely it's no different from an English person teaching French or German (or vice versa, on mainland Europe). The quality of teaching is more important than skin colour.

It's quite different. Neither France nor Germany were colonised by Britain.

What does it matter what his skin colour is?
This post feels quite racist.

Isn't that the same though as a black man teaching traditional Spanish guitar? Which I had lessons from. Why can't anyone of any colour be able to teach a subject competently?

@savehannah

I'd say that although it would be better if there was an African musician who could deliver this teaching. But given the reality that the number of such teachers is undoubtedly very small in Britain, especially in certain areas, isn't it better that the children are being taught about a variety of music from different cultures rather than only European classical music?

According to the ONS UK population stats, around 3% are black, and around 80% are white. If that percentage is reflected in UK teachers, perhaps that is part of the reason why white teachers end up teaching certain subjects that ideally would be taught by people from the relevant cultural background and/or have lived experience of the subject.

OP, you said there were no negative comments about the drumming lessons, so maybe people were happy with the content and style of teaching, despite the teacher not being the ideal choice for some people.