African hymnody

African hymnody. In this article, African hymnody will be considered under the headings ‘Western Africa’, ‘Eastern Africa’ and ‘Southern Africa’, preceded by a general introduction. Articles on individual countries and authors/composers will be found as separate entries. Introduction ‘Music might be considered as one of the best ways to educate Christian people. A beautiful hymn, well understood and lived, has the value of a good sermon’ (Ntahokaja, 75). In this quotation, Father Ntahokaja expresses the importance of hymnody in African liturgical life. The purpose of this article is to document the expansion of African indigenous hymnody up to the early 1980s. African songs began to appear...