The drum and its significance for the interpretation of the Old Testament from an African perspective: Part two

Rudolph De Wet Oosthuizen

doi:10.4102/ve.v37i1.1553

Abstract

Allowing the (South) African context to inform the construction and enhancement of the comparative paradigm as a reading strategy for the interpretation of the Old Testament enables one to identify and appreciate aspects of significance for the contemporary reader, relating to the interpretation of the text. Bearing in mind the importance of music and its function regarding religious expression, various aspects pertaining to the function and significance of music are being explored in order to enrich the interpretation of Psalm 150, with specific reference to music and musical instruments. (Whilst the focus in Part one [Oosthuizen 2016] is more on some hermeneutical aspects as pertaining to a specific reading strategy, Part two explores the significance of music for the interpretation of the Old Testament from an African perspective with specific reference to the drum and its usage in Psalm 150). Music enables one to comprehend and articulate a very particular aspect of religious experience, and it is of the utmost importance that this be acknowledged and taken into account in the current debate regarding appropriate strategies for the interpretation of religious texts in an African context. Three aspects serve to illustrate how the comparative approach can be augmented by drawing attention to aspects of particular interest for an African reading of the Old Testament: �music as space to encounter the divine�, the infectious nature of music, and �drumming� as a point of contact between the Old Testament and Africa.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: In our encounters with the biblical text, the (South-) African context can inform a comparative reading of the Old Testament. In so doing, the �comparative paradigm� is augmented by allowing insights from various disciplines to inform the reader and to apprise a reading strategy that allows for the encounter with the text to be understood not merely in terms of a historical-descriptive or linguistic exercise only, but provides an opportunity to explore various perspectives pertaining to the appreciation and interpretation of the text (Psalm 150).

Highlights

In appreciation and acknowledgement of an ‘African orientation’ (Ukpong 1999) that characterises a particular outlet of Old Testament scholarship, and in order to augment the comparative approach (West 2005), an attempt is being made to illustrate how the African context can inform a comparative reading of the Old Testament, with specific
The question by Kwami (1989:36) is noteworthy – ‘To what extent can African drumming be described a form of literature, poetry or language?’ In this case, the interpretation of Psalm 150 is to be explored in the sense of performance or enactment of a particular kind, that is, a reading or presentation of a specific text accompanied by musical instruments and in the context of a specific religious or cultic activity, whilst appreciating the significance of music and musical terminology in interpreting the text
Is it the awareness of this fact that enables the reader to appreciate and participate by listening to the message in a unique manner, the theological significance of the text is acknowledged and needs to be defined in linguistic terminology

Summary

Introduction

One finger cannot play the drum alone ...1In a prelude (Oosthuizen 2016) regarding the significance of the drum for the interpretation of the Old Testament from an African perspective, some broad parameters were drawn whereby exegesis came to be defined as more than a mere historically descriptive enterprise, acknowledging the fact that in our encounters with the biblical text or Old Testament, method is not to be seen as an end in itself (Le Roux 2002:1; Ukpong 1999).2 In appreciation and acknowledgement of an ‘African orientation’ (Ukpong 1999) that characterises a particular outlet of Old Testament scholarship, and in order to augment the comparative approach (West 2005), an attempt is being made to illustrate how the African context can inform a comparative reading of the Old Testament, with specific1.Well known African expression pointing to the importance of communal interests, solidarity and identity formation, as implied in Oosthuizen (2016:3,5).

Results

Conclusion