What is it about?
This article looks in detail at how three male musicians explore and describe their social experiences of being persons with albinism in various times and geographical contexts. Song lyrics produced by Yellowman, a famous musician from Jamaica, highlight the sexual power of the artist’s body with albinism. Musical practices performed by Salif Keita, a renowned songwriter from Mali, aim to spread messages of acceptance and inclusion of people with the condition in society. The ethnographic study of Ras Six, an emergent Tanzanian artist involved in humanitarian actions, examines the life trajectory of this musician with albinism and analyses how his songs describe violence and social stigma against people with the condition. The present study intends to show how these artists portray social and gender issues related to having albinism and try to gain visibility in order to claim political rights and social inclusion.
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Why is it important?
As shown in the analysis of musical practices produced by Yellowman, Salif Keita and Ras Six, research on the intertwinements between albinism and musical practices in the Global South constitute a fundamental way to understand notions of able-bodiedness, disability identities, and gender dynamics.
Perspectives
I hope this article can increase the public attention on music practices produced by persons with albinism and other disabilities and highlight the importance of researching multiple representations and understandings of disabilities and impairments in society.
Giorgio Brocco
Freie Universitat Berlin
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Notes of despair and consciousness: performativity and visibility of albinism in musical practices, Disability & Society, May 2019, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/09687599.2019.1609422.
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