Uses of music for community education in Nairobi, Kenya. This ongoing research, the subject of Dr Van Buren’s PhD thesis (2006), explores the use of music by musicians and organizations (NGOs, CBOs, FBOs, etc.) to address issues such as HIV/AIDS, children’s rights, and drug and alcohol abuse. It considers how and why musicians and organizations are partnering to promote social change; examines the creation, production, and promotion of performances; and considers the perspectives of musicians, staff at organizations, and audience members on the efficacy of music for promoting social change.
Information Development for Empowerment Advocacy and Sustainability (IDEAS). This is an interdisciplinary research and applied project developed by six scholars in ethnomusicology, information studies, sociological studies, and health and development at the University of Sheffield and the University of Loughborough. The objectives of the project are to study and facilitate local knowledge maintenance and transfer within African communities. Three demonstration studies are planned in communities in Gambia, Ghana, and Cameroon during the next three years.
A collaborative study with Philip Noss of Gbaya folktales in Cameroon. Over the next five years, a detailed study of Gbaya folktales is planned. This study entails systematic literary, linguistic, anthropological, and musical analyses of tales recorded by Noss between 1966-2000, as well as tales as told today. Van Buren’s contribution focuses on musical form and on the place of song in folktale performance.
