SWEDISH SOUTH AFRICAN RESEARCH NETWORK (SSARN)

see SSARN website

The South African Swedish network (SSARN) emerged from workshops on 'Music and Identity' initially conducted by the Travelling Institute for Music Research (TIMR). It further was developed with the support for the South African National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

In 2002, the SSARN project leaders Professor Stig-Magnus Thorsén, School of Music and Music Education, Gothenburg University, Professor Ria Smit, Department of Music and Konservatorium, Stellenbosch University, South Africa and Professor Eric Akrofi, Department of Music Education, University of the Transkei, Umata, South Africa were successful in receiving a grant for a research project of which a book on Music and Identity: Transformation and Negotiation would be the outcome.  

As a South African, now living and working in Australia teaching African music, I was invited to be part of this project. The membership of the project consist of international scholars and academics mainly from Africa (South Africa) and Scandinavia (Sweden). As a group of researchers we met in November 2004 (Stellenbosch University, South Africa), in October 2005 (Göteborg University, Sweden) and in April 2006 (Walter Sisulu University, South Africa).  In 2007, a book Music and Identity: Transformation and Negotiation, edited by Kofie, Agawu and Even, Rudd will be available. I contributed a chapter entitled “ A Kaleidoscopic Voyage of Discovery: Encountering African Music from an Australian Perspective”.