WhenmanypeoplethinkofAfricanmusic,thefirstideasthatcometomindareoftenofrhythm,drums,anddancing.TheseperceptionsarerootedinemblematicAfricanandAfrican-derivedgenressuchasWestAfricandrumming,funk,salsa,orsambaand,moreimportantly,essentializednotionsaboutAfricawhichhavebeenfueledovercenturiesofcontactbetweenthe“West,“Africa,andtheAfricandiaspora.Thesenotions,ofcourse,tendtoreduceandoftenportrayAfricaandthediasporaasprimitive,exotic,andmonolithic.InAfricannessinAction,authorJuanDiegoD穩azexploresthisdynamicthroughtheperspectivesofBlackmusiciansinBahia,Brazil,asiteimaginedbymanyasadiasporicepicenterofAfricansurvivalsandpurity.BlackmusiciansfromBahia,D穩azargues,assertAfro-Brazilianidentities,promotesocialchange,andcritiqueracialinequalitybycreativelyengagingessentializedtropesaboutAfricanmusicandculture.Insteadofreproducingthesenotions,musiciansdemonstrateagencybystrategicallyemphasizingordownplayingthem.
