The revitalization of the African sound archive beyond postcolonial nationhood

The International Library of African Music (ILAM) is located in South Africa and it is
the largest sound archive of African music in the continent. From the 1920s to the
1970s, Hugh Tracey, his son, Andrew, and numerous “others” recorded more than fourteen thousand songs from fifteen countries in sub-Saharan Africa. ILAM covers a wide range of African musical styles – ranging from South Africa to Sudan. Since 2011, the author has conducted repatriation and revitalization projects of ILAM’s recordings in eight countries (Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa) and resulting in multiple publications (peer review articles, albums, podcasts and documentaries) including his book ‘Tracing the mbira sound archive in Zimbabwe’ published by Routledge in 2018. This presentation examines the digital return of ILAM´s sound archive through the author, scholars, museums and musicians in Africa. Particularly, this type of revitalization project examines the scholarly and collaborative outcomes from the interaction between ILAM (as a hub for African music studies) and the mentioned agents during revitalization projects.