Africa : Burkina Faso : Savannah rhythms

African music is rarely played for its own sake; an African musician plays with people, not for them. Music plays an integral role in the celebration of life's many rituals and accompanies everyday activities. Music is extremely important to the agricultural cycle with field cultivation, harvest and winnowing of millet performed to the rhythm of the drums. Mossi women sing complaints of their husbands as they grind millet grain. The younger boys whistle and croon softly as they wander the silent savannah with cattle and goats. Griots recite history of the people, places and events of the community. They sing praise songs to arouse loyalty in the listener. Certain instruments can even talk by imitating the tonal patterns characteristic of Voltaic languages. African life and music are one.