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Marco Roque de Freitas has published the article "‘In heavy rotation’: uncovering the phonographic industry and the ‘NGOMA national label’ in socialist Mozambique (1978–1990)” in Ethnomusicology Forum.
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Marco Roque de Freitas (NOVA FCSH) has published the article "‘In heavy rotation’: uncovering the phonographic industry and the ‘NGOMA national label’ in socialist Mozambique (1978–1990)” in Ethnomusicology Forum.
Abstract
This article outlines the structure and editorial practices of the phonographic industry in postcolonial Mozambique during the so-called ‘socialist period’. It details the production phases, the associated companies and delves into the material conditions and aesthetic values that guided the phonograms published by NGOMA—dubbed as ‘the Mozambican national label’—and their relationship with state-defined cultural policy between 1978 (when production on this series commenced) and 1990 (when vinyl production officially ceased in the country). Several themes are explored, such as predominant topics of song lyrics, repertoires and artists, copyright, women artists, and the restrictions on music production during the civil war. After analysing the main musical trends and acknowledging noteworthy absences, I reflect on NGOMA’s efficiency in the nation-building process.
Recent publications by Marco Roque de Freitas:
- Freitas, M. R. de. (2022). Reavaliando o Movimento Moçambique Livre: A construção sonora do assalto ao Rádio Clube (7 de Setembro de 1974). Ler História, 80, 225–247. https://doi.org/10.4000/lerhistoria.10479
- Freitas, M. R.de. (2022). Sounding the Nation, Sounding the Revolution: Music and Radio Broadcasting in Post-colonial Mozambique (1975-1986). Journal of Radio & Audio Media, 29(1), 80–103. https://doi.org/10.1080/19376529.2021.2019745
- Freitas, M. R. de, & Carvalho, J. S. de (2022). Performing a culture, staging the revolution: Choral singing and traditional music as nation‐building tropes in post‐colonial Mozambique. Nations and Nationalism, 28(1), 211–230. https://doi.org/10.1111/nana.12807
- Silva, G. M. da, Glória, A. C., Salgueiro, Â. S., Almeida, B., Monteiro, D., Freitas, M. R. de, & Freire, N. (2022). ROSSIO Infrastructure: A Digital Humanities Platform to Explore the Portuguese Cultural Heritage. Information, 13(2), 50. https://doi.org/10.3390/info13020050
- Freitas, M. R. de (2021). Rádio Clube de Moçambique: História económica e cultural de uma empresa radiofónica num contexto colonial (1932-1974). Revista de História Da Sociedade e Da Cultura, 21, 97–120. https://doi.org/10.14195/1645-2259_21_4
- Freitas, M. R. de (2021). "«Salve-se quem puder»: A performance do engate nas discotecas do Roteiro Gay de Lisboa”. In Música Género Sexualidades - Musical Trouble, After Butler (ISBN: 978-989-755-641-8), edited by Gomes-Ribeiro, Paula; Durand, Júlia; Freitas, Joana; Gaspar, Filipe, 207-230. Lisbon, Portugal: Edições Humus.https://cutt.ly/G9vojrD