Summarize the basic characteristics of African song and dance music

The oral traditions and styles maintained by African indigenous people's music and dance are different from the Arab culture in North Africa and the settled population in western southern Africa. African music and dance are mainly cultivated by all sub-Saharan traditions in sub-Saharan Africa, and singing is emphasized, because songs are used as communication channels. Because many African languages are "phonetic languages", that is, songs whose meaning, melody and rhythm are determined by the pitch generally follow the pitch contour and text rhythm. Melody usually stays within the range of four, five, six or seven tones. In the chorus part, some clubs habitually chorus, or sporadic three-quarters or four-fifths parallel octaves, and some clubs sing two or three parts, with two-thirds or three-quarters parallel. Songs are a common form of telephone calls and answers. With the influence of urbanization and western culture, traditional music and dance, modern trends, although still exist, have decreased. New idioms have emerged, but they combine African and Western elements. They include highlife in West Africa (showing some Caribbean characteristics), Congolese pop music (reflecting the influence of Latin America), and in South Africa, there is evidence that the demand of churches and other transplant institutions may stimulate new artistic music. Traditional music and dance are facing a serious threat of decline. However, due to its political and cultural importance, many countries have paid special attention to its protection, and African traditional dance has also been strongly emphasized, because sports is regarded as an important way of communication. To this end, symbolic gesture dance, pantomime, props, masks, costumes, body painting and other video equipment are used. The basic movements may be simple, emphasizing the upper body, trunk, or feet, or complex, involving different parts, such as the coordination of rapid rotation and complex movements, shock waves of the body, contraction and release, changes in strength and level, and the use of space. The dance may be open to everyone, or one, two, three or four people (regardless of gender) may participate in the dance circle in this activity. Dance teams may also appear. The unit can be a straight line, an arc, a snake or two or more lines. That's about it. hope this helps