Pygmies dancing to the beat of love

 

Francis Bebey (15 July 1929, Douala, Cameroon - 28 May 2001, Paris, France) was a Cameroonian musicologist, writer, composer, and broadcaster; he attended college in Douala, where he studied mathematics, before studying broadcasting at the University of Paris. He moved to the United States and continued to study broadcasting at New York University. In 1957, Bebey moved to Ghana at the invitation of Kwame Nkrumah, and took a job as a broadcaster.

In the early 1960s, Bebey moved to France and started work in the arts, establishing himself as a musician, sculptor, and writer. He was also the first African musician to use electric keyboards and programmable drum machines which he set alongside off the traditional African instruments. His most popular novel was Agatha Moudio's Son. While working at UNESCO from 1961-74, he was able to become the head of the music department in Paris. This job allowed him to research and document traditional African music.

Bebey released his first album in 1969 and would go on to release over 20 albums on Ozileka, between 1975 and 1997. His music was primarily guitar-based, but he integrated traditional African instruments and synthesizers as well. Though Bebey's music is now widely praised, it created controversy at the time due to its blending of African and Western traditions. His style merged Cameroonian makossa with classical guitar, jazz, pop, and electronics, and was considered by critics to be groundbreaking, "intellectual, humorous, and profoundly sensual". He sang in Duala, English, and French.

Moreover, Bebey had a major role in popularizing the n'dehou, a one-note bamboo flute created by the Central African pygmies. Bebey conducted field research among pygmy tribes, focusing especially on their musical traditions.

Bebey wrote novels, poetry, plays, tales, short stories, and nonfiction works. He began his literary career as a journalist in the 1950s and at one time worked as a journalist in Ghana and other African countries for the French radio network, Société de radiodiffusion de la France d'outre-mer (SORAFOM); in addition to exploring childhood and adult experiences in his works, Bebey also wrote tales drawn from the African oral tradition.

Francis Bebey - African Electronic Music 1975-1982