According to a 2020-report by MusicWatch, country music is the third most popular musical genre in the U.S. Amid the pandemic, country music was the “genre of music that is not hurting right now” – Bloomberg wrote last year. Country signers know how to build audience loyalty despite the growing musical trend toward hip-hop and pop domination.

Let us go back to the roots!

In 1927, Victoria Records, one of the first players in the recording industry, went looking for “hillbilly” musicians in Bristol, Tennessee. Two local acts – The Carter Family from Virginia and Jimmie Rodgers from North Carolina – signed the recording contracts. The Carter Family played old-time mountain music and Jimmie Rodgers sang ballads using a vocal technique called “yodelling”. In 1928, Rodgers’s recording “Blue Yodel” was a huge musical and commercial coup, with a million copies sold. The two acts paved the way to other country artists. Contrary to what a lot of American people still believe until today, Nashville was not the birthplace of country music. According to a resolution passed by the U.S. Congress in 1998, Bristol, Tennessee was.

At the beginning, hillbilly performers used fiddle, guitar, banjo, and sometimes Appalachian dulcimer, harmonica, and mandolin. Later in the 30s and 40s, traditional country music became influenced by other genres: blues and gospel. Until today, many music professionals claim that country music has African-American roots as well. A point to note is, country music had always been labelled “hillbilly” music until 1949 when it was officially given its current name.

In a context of war and crisis, country music conveyed messages about poverty, orphaned children, and loneliness. Today, the lyrics are among the reasons why American people are attached to country music.

Country music is still on track in the 2020s. Here is why.

Unlike pop singers who are sometimes unable to sing fully live, most country singers are very talented performers and vocalists. They work with knowledgeable musicians who perfectly master the instruments that they play. Lyrics tell meaningful stories and display various emotions. It is very common to relate to what a well-written country song is carrying as a message. Country singers do not merely sing in an explosive show, they “share” a story, sometimes in a very intimate way. Songwriters tell a story in a very simple way and do not ask the audience to decode what hidden message is behind a song.

In the early 2020s, country music has seen an impressive revival. Many music executives explain that country music is comforting during these weird days. Others explain that country music goes hand in hand with drinking – since alcohol sales have soared as well during the Covid pandemic. Another explanation would be country fans are starting to stream more country songs rather than buy physical disks.

Today that life in the U.S. is gradually getting back to a certain normalcy, the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, the heart of country music – which started broadcasting since 1925 – has reopened its door to the public. The weekly concert has officially resumed. Masks off, no more social distancing.

Sources: MusicWatch – Bloomberg – Britannica – Chicago Tribune

Happy 61^st anniversary of recovering Independence to all Malagasy and to our beloved Madagascar! May we live our daily lives according to the lyrics of our National Anthem: https://www.hymne-national.com/en/national-anthem-madagascar/.

As an historical reservoir, culture is an important factor in shaping identity. Being a Malagasy citizen living in Namibia for over 15 years, happily married to my German-Namibian husband for over 16 years, being the proud mother of our two boys, we agreed to carry on owning and developing our individual cultural identity. Mine is strongly rooted on Malagasy Culture – Kolontsaina. It is rich, beautiful, colourful, and reflects the inputs of prominent groups migrating to Madagascar centuries ago, especially from Southeast Asia and East Africa. It also includes some influences from Western Asia and Europe.

When Ludwig and I were married for just over a year, we moved to the lovely town of Swakopmund in Namibia, on April 13^th, 2006. We used to reside in Antananarivo, the capital city of Madagascar. This was my second time on Namibian soil, it was the first day of our new life and it promised to be an exhilarating experience. We took over striving businesses and properties his father has built. Ludwig’s family is originally from Germany, his mother’s grandfather settled in Swakopmund in 1896, making him among the 1st Generation Germans settling here and making Ludwig the fourth one. Cross-cultural marriages like ours lead to having multicultural children, hence we welcomed the fifth generation: our two sons. In honour to my origins, we named our boys: Lova (Malagasy for Heritage), and Fanilo (Malagasy for Flame Torch) who is autistic.

"Our boys have a German father and a Malagasy mother, and were born in Namibia. Therefore, they are exposed to three different cultures. We decided to take the best from all three and merged them into one new culture, hence a new identity for them."

Since culture is defined as the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, defined by everything from traditions, language, religion, cuisine, social habits, to music and arts, every new-born inherits a cultural identity which most individuals will keep throughout their life. Cultural identity refers to identification with, or sense of belonging to a particular group based on various cultural categories: nationality, ethnicity, race, gender, and religion. It is constructed and maintained through the process of sharing collective knowledge: traditions, heritage, language, aesthetics, norms, and customs. As individuals typically affiliate with more than one cultural group, cultural identity is complex and multifaceted. In this globalized world with increasing intercultural encounters, cultural identity is constantly enacted, negotiated, maintained, and challenged through communicative practices. The chain of positive and negative effects of Globalization is growing further. What is important to realize is that Globalization itself is neither good nor bad, it just depends on how people deal with all the possibilities in the future. Globalization leads to significant changes on major aspects in most countries: Economics, Politics, Culture, Industry, and Technology.

Professor Mark Lilla – Columbia University – answered the questions from Dubai future foundation: “What will be the impact of globalization on our identity? Will governments be able to foster the same kind of civic duty as they do now?” His answers were: “I believe that our problem of identity up to now has really been multicultural problems, having to do with the confrontations of people from different cultures. What is starting to happen now is new identity politics which is a reaction to the monocultural that has followed on globalization in the sense that certainly people of a certain class no longer belong to where they were born. They float around in the world, they speak different languages, they eat different sorts of food and that is going to be our destiny, certainly the destiny of our children who are growing up. I think it is especially important for governments around the world to think about what kind of glue is going to hold them together after the disappearance of some of the very traditional culture-ties that we have always relied on.”

When I look into my boys’ stunning hazel eyes, I see hope, trust, joy, and endless possibilities. Our children are looking up to us for guidance, we owe it to them now more than ever, as we have had a good share of support from our forefathers. Malagasy Ancestors displayed amazing wisdom passed onto us through our Malagasy language. The meaning of some Malagasy words is mesmerizing. Through those meanings, they passed onto us the deep connection to our Creator which is the base of our belief system and the paradigm we were given. This realization led me to study Malagasy language and make it the glue to hold me, to empower my family, to enhance connections with my compatriots, hence, to preserve our Malagasy Culture. One of my life’s purposes is to restore faith and pride in Malagasy hearts. I believe in us Malagasy; we can unite to make this noble cause ours because we are all connected with the heart and soul. We are a unity thanks to our wonderful culture of “fihavanana” (Brotherhood). Therefore, I invite all Malagasy citizens around the world and in Madagascar to unite and do everything in our power to preserve our Malagasy Culture.

Here are few examples of things I make time for, to preserve my cultural identity: I pray in Malagasy, I speak Malagasy to my kids, I speak to my parents nearly daily, I message/call regularly my Malagasy family members and my friends, I read “Rakibolana” (Dictionary in Malagasy), I listen to Malagasy music, I read stories about Madagascar and about Malagasy then and now, I recite poems and proverbs. Between 2006 and 2021, we visited Madagascar seven times, my parents came on long holidays five times to Namibia and to South Africa with us three times, I joined few groups and associations thanks to social media like: “Autism Madagascar”, “Association Nofy”, “Le Groupe des Mamans Gasy de France et d’ailleurs” (a group of Malagasy Mothers living in France and elsewhere). Since March 2021, I have been an active member of ASSOCIATION NOFY. I volunteer to co-host Facebook live events called “Femme et Engagée” (Women and Involved: women empowering other women). Our guests are Malagasy Diaspora mothers sharing their inspiring journey. I discovered Hanta Ramakavelo’s Facebook page and her outstanding work on Mentorship and Coaching. Hanta has been offering publicly free mentorship sessions called: “Teny Malagasy Iainana” (Live Malagasy Language) via Zoom video conference, every Sunday since June 2020. I attended most sessions since March and since end May 2021, I volunteer to co-host Mentorship LIVE EVENTS with Hanta Ramakavelo every Sunday. As a result, I continue to live my life with gratitude; I start my days infused with more faith, hope, and love. I feel even more energized to teach our boys the foundation of Malagasy Culture and to live according to our Malagasy Anthem. I am constantly in student mode, striving to be authentic, not perfect.

"Malagasy language is uniquely beautiful and helps us live a meaningful life, wherever we are."

Words are powerful, they communicate images that are clear in our reasoning and imagination. Words also convey our emotions, motivations, and decisions. Words define and formulate our beliefs, values and what makes us unique. We cannot guess or assume what the other person is thinking or feeling; it is necessary to bring out what is inside through words, pictures or agreed signs. This is the case of communication with deaf, mute, or autistic friends. We all have a precious inner garden. Our being consists of a mind, a heart, and a soul. Words are seeds to be cultivated in this garden. From there, thoughts, interests, desires, projects, convictions, values, principles, characteristics of our personal culture blossom. It is the very source of our life. We are programmed, formatted, moulded by the words that build our lives, self-talks, and words we receive from the outer world. This is what neuro-linguistic programming is all about.

Words have the power to shape us, it is up to us to select them according to what we wish to harvest. What fills us radiates and flows out of us. It is indeed from the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks. What we cultivate becomes our characters; our skills and our abilities are forged by what we share. When we show care and favour to our inner garden, it is guaranteed that we will adopt the same attitude for our country and for our planet Earth, this precious big garden which allows us to live together. Considering the actual position occupied by Madagascar because of poverty, it is obvious that poverty of mind is the source of it all. We have not respected the true priorities by nurturing our inner garden first. “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandela. We can change; the key is in our hands, let us change our lives and we will improve our country’s history.

This article is also available in the 11th release of "The American" magazine. The full PDF version of magazine is available for download here.