Paper short abstract:

The presentation will focus on the development of an electronic replica for the manza, a declining court xylophone that belonged to the patrimonial chiefs and notables of the Azande people in northern DR Congo, and the rediscovery, revival and restitution of both artistic and scientific knowledge.

Paper long abstract:

The main focus of the presentation is the electronic replica developed for the manza, a type of court xylophone belongs to the patrimonial chiefs and notables of the Azande people in northern Democratic Republic of Congo. A number of these instruments are preserved in the collection of Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren (Belgium) since 1913.

Supported by ethnomusicology and archive analysis, the electronic replica is the tool and agency for the interdisciplinary research plan of rediscovery, revival and non-tangible cultural restitution of the declining patrimonial music tradition. First, it is the tool for rediscovering music practices—performance and compositional techniques—that have been lost and neglected in databases and past scientific researches, and even, among the source communities. Second, it is the agency of revival of the non-tangible cultural heritage that has been disrupted by colonization. The project will invite the source and diaspora communities to co-creation and co-experimentation processes; hence, the replica is a complimentary tool for restitution work for the ethnographic museum through participatory creative actions. Third, the replica is the interactive tool for pedagogical exchange and public dissemination. It will give hands-on experience to visitors in workshops and exhibitions, and for professional musicians and students in Europe to create new music together with the musical knowledge of manza xylophone. Therefore, apart from the envisaged impact of heritage preservation and decolonial values, the project is expected to renovate Western new/contemporary music with traditional African music practices.