These captivating case studies include eyewitness accounts of performances, interviews with performers, and vivid illustrations. Each volume is packaged with a 70-minute CD that contains representative examples of the music discussed in the book.

Ngoma is the hallmark of music in East Africa and a performance that incorporates drumming, singing, and dancing. Using several towns and villages as examples, this case study discusses how Ngoma performances function as important means of mediating conflicts, solidifying community and ethnicity, and communicating traditional values and social histories.