An Ivory Coast History of it and its Music

Not very much is known about the early history of the Ivory coast, in fact the earliest history known is from the early 1400's when the Portuguese arrived. In the early 19th century, two Akan groups invaded the Ivory Coast. Shortly after the invasion, the French, British and Dutch came to this area and it became a French colony in 1893.
However, in 1960 independence was gained and the Ivory Coast thrived for quite a long time until civil war began in 2002 and unfortunately, this civil war is still waging today.

The traditional music and popular music of the Ivory Coast are very different from one another. The traditional music has strong vocal polyphony and is characterized by a series of melodies and harmonies at one time. One factor that is very important in traditional music is that none of the elements should overpower another. Talking drums are also very common. Music is used to celebrate festivals, ceremonies and just everyday life.
In popular music, a bété rhythm is common and most of the songs are written about happiness. Most popular styles are reggae from the Caribbean and hip hop from the United States. A style of popular music is called zouglou and the text of this music is satirical in nature and is accompanied by dance. The popular music has a simplified melody that allows for the bass and the percussion to be heard easily.