Skip to main content

Search

My Visit
Donate
Home Smithsonian Institution

Site Navigation

  • Visit
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Entry and Guidelines
    • Maps and Brochures
    • Dine and Shop
    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Group Visits
      • Group Sales
  • What's On
    • Exhibitions
      • Current
      • Upcoming
      • Past
    • Online Events
    • All Events
    • IMAX & Planetarium
  • Explore
    • - Art & Design
    • - History & Culture
    • - Science & Nature
    • Collections
      • Open Access
    • Research Resources
      • Libraries
      • Archives
        • Smithsonian Institution Archives
        • Air and Space Museum
        • Anacostia Community Museum
        • American Art Museum
        • Archives of American Art
        • Archives of American Gardens
        • American History Museum
        • American Indian Museum
        • Asian Art Museum Archives
        • Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, African Art
        • Hirshhorn Archive
        • National Anthropological Archives
        • National Portrait Gallery
        • Ralph Rinzler Archives, Folklife
        • Libraries' Special Collections
    • Podcasts
    • Stories
  • Learn
    • For Caregivers
    • For Educators
      • Art & Design Resources
      • Science & Nature Resources
      • Social Studies & Civics Resources
      • Professional Development
      • Events for Educators
      • Field Trips
    • For Students
    • For Academics
    • For Lifelong Learners
  • Support Us
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Membership
    • Make a Gift
    • Volunteer
      • Smithsonian Call Center
      • Ambassador Program
      • Museum Information Desk
      • Docent Programs
      • Behind-the-Scenes
      • Digital Volunteers
      • Participatory Science
  • About
    • Our Organization
      • Board of Regents
        • Members
        • Committees
        • Reading Room
        • Bylaws, Policies and Procedures
        • Schedules and Agendas
        • Meeting Minutes
        • Actions
        • Webcasts
        • Contact
      • Museums and Zoo
      • Research Centers
      • Cultural Centers
      • Education Centers
      • General Counsel
        • Legal History
        • Internships
        • Records Requests
          • Reading Room
        • Tort Claim
        • Subpoenas & Testimonies
        • Events
      • Office of Human Resources
        • Employee Benefits
        • How to Apply
        • Job Opportunities
        • Job Seekers with Disabilities
        • Frequently Asked Questions
        • SI Civil Program
        • Contact Us
      • EEO & Small Business
        • EEO Complaint Process
        • Individuals with Disabilities
        • Small Business Program
          • Doing Business with Us
          • Contracting Opportunities
          • Additional Resources
        • Special Emphasis Program
      • Sponsored Projects
        • Policies
          • Combating Trafficking in Persons
          • Animal Care and Use
          • Human Research
        • Reports
        • Internships
    • Our Leadership
    • Reports and Plans
      • Annual Reports
      • Metrics Dashboard
        • Dashboard Home
        • Virtual Smithsonian
        • Public Engagement
        • National Collections
        • Research
        • People & Operations
      • Strategic Plan
    • Newsdesk
      • News Releases
      • Media Contacts
      • Photos and Video
      • Media Kits
      • Fact Sheets
      • Visitor Stats
      • Secretary and Admin Bios
      • Filming Requests

Oral history interview with Ibrahim Kanja Bah

Anacostia Community Museum

Object Details

General
Associated documentation for this interview is available in the Anacostia Community Museum Archives.
Title created by ACMA staff using text written on sound cassette, contents of audio recording, textual transcript, and/or associated archival documentation.
Interviewer
Corporan, Héctor, 1945-
Names
Bah, Ibrahim Kanja
Simon, Paul, 1941-
Collection Creator
Smithsonian Institution. Anacostia Community Museum
Place
Sierra Leone
Ghana
Africa
Washington (D.C.)
United States
Topic
Africans
African Americans
Sound recording executives and producers
Disc jockeys
Manners and customs
Rites and ceremonies
Emigration and immigration
Stereotypes (Social psychology)
Music trade
Sound recording industry
Bands (Music)
Radio programs
Music
Popular music -- African influences
Language and languages
Cultural pluralism
Identity
Interviews
Interviewer
Corporan, Héctor, 1945-
Culture
Fula (African people)
See more items in
Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D. C. Exhibition Records
Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D. C. Exhibition Records / Series 3: Oral History Interviews
Sponsor
Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).
Extent
1 Digital file
1 Sound cassette
Date
circa 1992-1993
Archival Repository
Anacostia Community Museum Archives
Type
Archival materials
Digital files
Sound cassettes
Citation
Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D. C. exhibition records, Anacostia Community Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Collection Rights
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Note
The total playing time of interview recording is approximately 55 minutes.
Scope and Contents
Ibrahim Kanja Bah stated he was part of the Fulbe community in Sierra Leone, and the official language of his community is Pulaar. He explained the meaning of Kanja, how a child is named in his African community, and where the Fulbe community is located in West Africa. Bah explained what he knew about the United States, how he visualized the United States, and his understanding of African Americans prior to living in the United States; why he migrated to the United States in 1973; his arrival and first experiences in Brooklyn, New York and Washington, DC; his first impression of the United States; and how he was received in the United States. He spoke about the social functions, and African culture and traditions that bring Africans together in Washington, DC. Bah spoke about his past and current work in the music industry, including managing an African music store, producing music and concerts, bringing African bands to the United States, organizing music tours, DJing, hosting an African radio program, and teaching the history of African music at the Foreign Service Institute. Bah explained the increase in the popularity of African music; how African music and culture influenced popular American music, including go-go music, rap, and break dance; how night clubs, specifically the Kilimanjaro, exposed a lot of people to African music; who helped make African music acceptable to Africans and introduce African music to non-Africans in the United States; the influence of Africans on the English language in the United States; and the disconnection between the Africans in the United States and the Africans in Africa. Bah explained the ethnic and cultural diversity throughout Africa; how African diversity is "a unifying force"; Ghanaian music's role in the development of African music, including bass band music and highlife music; how the system cultivated Africans to be something other than who they really are; Africans are not capitalizing and marketing their music to the world themselves; and the popularity of Latin music in Africa. Bah also spoke about how a native Ghanaian rhythm became a part of Paul Simon's album. Ibrahim Kanja Bah was interviewed by Hector Corporan. Interview is in English. Digital audio files include white noise and static. Volume of interviewee's voice fluctuates a little; interviewee's voice is intelligible for the most part.
Collection Restrictions
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Related link
Record ID
ebl-1712088000981-1712088003362-1
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/qa783250667-25ca-4892-affc-f51abf5ce448

Related Content

  • Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D. C. Exhibition Records

Footer logo

Link to homepage

Footer navigation

  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Get Involved
  • Inspector General
  • Records Requests
  • Accessibility
  • EEO & Small Business
  • Shop Online
  • Host Your Event
  • Press Room
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use

Social media links

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn

Get the latest news from the Smithsonian

Sign up for Smithsonian e-news

Get the latest news from the Smithsonian

Email powered by BlackBaud (Privacy Policy, Terms of Use)
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Back to Top