Reclaiming Josephine Baker in the Filmic Ethnomusicology of Djibril Diop Mambéty

Abstract

Abstract This paper proposes an ethnomusicological approach to Djibril Diop Mambéty’s films as a means of reading their diverse musical soundscapes. Paying particular attention to Touki Bouki (1974), it demonstrates how this approach delineates what may be seen as a reclamation of Josephine Baker—an international figure who has been objectified for her race and gender—resituating her within a wider global African cultural heritage.