Join us March 28 and 29 for a dialogue between communities of practice and communities of learning--an interface between orality and literacy-- in the context of African music and its research.
African musical arts on the continent are as vibrant and diverse as the societies and communities whose creativity and performances enliven life in both temporal and non-temporal domains. As a form of communication, African musical arts operate within a larger framework of orality where musical sounds and expressions constitute symbolic and living curricula, which consistently generate knowledge systems about the African worldview. Orality, however, does not imply lack of literacy, as songs, instrumental accompaniment, storytelling, epic poems, instrumental music, and the physical body of musical instruments indexes literacy in subtle and intricate ways.
This event is free and open to the public, but we request that non-Tufts guests register to attend.
Please register here.
About the Coit-Phelps Keynote Speaker
Oheneba Lovelace Prempeh is the 2025 Coit-Phelps keynote speaker. He will be speaking on March 29 at the ISMAA Symposium.
Learn more about the Symposium
African musical arts on the continent are as vibrant and diverse as the societies and communities whose creativity and performances enliven life in both temporal and non-temporal domains.
Meet the Presenters
This symposium will bring together artists, historians, musicians and performers from a variety of disciplines from around the world. To see our full line-up, including the Center for the Humanities Coit-Phelps speaker, you can learn more here.
Presenter Abstracts
Please feel free to browse the abstracts of the various presenters for the International Symposium on the Musical Arts of Africa.
Visitor Information
This event will take place in the Granoff Music Center at Tufts (20 Talbot Avenue, Medford, MA). We hope to bring together guests from all over the Boston area and the world. If you are new to Tufts, please check in here to learn more about getting to campus.
