Baka

Rykodisc put out a record of music from the Baka forest people of Cameroon back in 1993. I listened to it a lot in college, but had sort of forgotten about it until today. It's called Heart of the Forest. One of the things I always loved about it was that it was recorded in the field, so there are many incidental noises: insects, people coughing, conversations. A lot of what in included really involves daily rituals like children's games, wake-up calls, hunting songs, cooking songs. I wonder if people in a society like that would understand our need for constant entertainment?

Anyway, my favorite tracks were the "Water Drums", where people are actually hitting the water in the river to make music. Now, though, I've grown to appreciate the singing more. Funny how tastes change. I probably enjoy the CD more now than I did in college. The people who put it together, it turns out, formed a group called Baka Beyond and have continued the project. I haven't heard any of their work.

It just occurred to me now - baka is the word for imp in Creole. Considering that the Baka people are pygmies, I wonder if there's a connection there.