Audience-Based Research in the Era of Democratization

Author(s): Bob W. WHITE and YOKA LYE

Reviewed work(s):
Source: Civilisations, Vol. 54, No. 1/2, EXPERIENCES DE RECHERCHE EN REPUBLIQUE
DEMOCRATIQUE DU CONGO: METHODES ET CONTEXTES (2006), pp. 223-236
Published by: Institut de Sociologie de l'Universit de Bruxelles
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intheEra ofDemocratization
Audience-Based
Research
Bob W. WHITE & YOKA LYE

researchproject (Montrealand
international
Summary:As part of a multi-sited
Kinshasa)organizedaroundtheidea of audience-basedresearch,the "Ethnographies
to go beyondpreviousstudiesof theCongolese
ofListening"researchteamattempted
KinshasafromJune
music
surveysthroughout
systematic
industry
byconducting
popular
2002 toAugust2005. In theearlyphases,a largeamountoftimewas spentconsidering
wereconductedina random
howtobe sureinterviews
thequestionofrepresentativeness:
research
and theconstraints
the
and representative
manner.
Subsequently, realityoffield
aboutthe
to
discussions
resources
led
and
limited
communication
financial
imposedby
to
the
or
not
it
was
and
whether
notion
studyof
pertinent
very
of representativeness
ofhaving
disagreedabouttheimportance
popularmusic.Local andforeignresearchers
inthesurveysampleandselectionofsites.Thisdifference
ofopinion
equal representation
led to usefuldiscussionsaboutthesupposedlyinclusivenatureof this "collaborative"
coincidedwithwhatsometeammembers
research
referred
projectand howitsevolution
moment
innationalpolitics.
toas a democratic
listeningsurveys,collaborativeresearch,popularmusic,North-South
Key words: ethnography,
relations.

dans un projetde recherchesmulti-sites

Rsum: S 'intgrant
(Montral,Kinshasa)
de l'coute" a voulu
autourde l'tuded'audience,l'quipe de travail"Ethnographies
sur
la
les
tudes
musiquepopulairecongolaiseen menantdes
approfondir prcdentes
Kinshasa
entre

juin 2002 et aot 2005. Elle s 'estlonguement

enqutessystmatiques
: comment
s 'assurerque les
de
la
au
sur
la
reprsentativit
penche, dpart,
question
rencontrant
des exigences

des
modles
alatoires
soient
menes
conformment
enqutes
de
communication
du
les
? Les contraintes
de reprsentativit
terrain,
difficults
pratiques
rflchir
etles limitesdes ressources
davantagesurla notionde
engagrent
financires
l
'tude
de
la
et
sur
sa
musiquepopulaire.Il s 'avraque
pour
reprsentativit
pertinence
d'avoirdes
surl 'opportunit
locauxettrangers
les opinionsdes chercheurs
divergeaient
slection
des
sites.Cette
de
recherche
et
dans
la
semblables
dans
l
'chantillon
effectifs
au
nature
de
la
collaboration
intressantes
sur
la

la
base
de
discussions
divergence
fut
seloncertainsmembres,
seinde ce projetetsurla maniredontson volution
concidait,
dans la politiquenationale.
avec unprocessusdmocratique
rechercheen collaboration,
Mots-cls: ethnographie,
tudede la rception,
musiquepopulaire,
relations
Nord-Sud.
enRDC
vol.LIV,nos1-2 - Expriences
derecherche
Civilisations

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223

Bob W. White & Yoka Lye

social character,
culturalcontextswherelisteningtakes on a fundamentally
a fieldof social practicethatis dynamic,interpersonal
popularmusicrepresents
In orderto capturethiscomplexity,
we mustconsiderhow
andhighlycontextdependent.
music,and how musicis adaptedforuse in everyday
people access meaningthrough
social worlds.Not only do people in Kinshasause song lyricsto conveymessages
too crudeor too directin spokenform,buttheyalso position
thatwouldbe considered
withparticular
themselvesin social termsby identifying
musicgroupsor genresand
themselves
fromothers.
As thecitythatis considered
bymanytobe thecapital
distancing
ofmodernAfricandancemusic,Kinshasais an ideal locationforresearchon audiences.
People in Kinshasatakea greatdeal of pridein beingfromKinshasa(kinois)and they
some
arguethattheircityhas a uniqueurbanculturethatcannotbe fullygraspedwithout
of
the
music.
often
that
Kinshasa
and
its
music
understanding city's
People
say
"grewup
(Us ontgrandiensemble).To whatextentis itpossibleto speakof a uniquely
together"
urbanidentity
in theCongo? In whatwayshas thisidentity
changedas Kinshasawent
fromKin-la-Belleto Kin-la-Poubellein less thanfifty
years?The researchdiscussed
in thispaperexaminesthecontextof listening
to popularmusicin Kinshasain order
to explainhowtheproductsof popularcultureare linkedto urbanidentity
and howthe
socialorganization
oflistening
canbe usedtoreflect
and
economic
uponpolitical
change
intheearly1990s.
sincethepromisesof"democratic
transition"

UsingAudiencesto StudyCulture

Audience-based
new in thehumanities
and social sciences,
research,stillrelatively
is well suitedto studying
thecomplexities
of largeurbanpopulationscharacterized
by
and mobility(Hechtand Simone 1994). Scholarshipon audiencesdoes not
hybridity
existas a coherent
ofdisciplines
havewritten
on
literature,
thoughauthorsfroma variety
totheproblematic
ofreception
(Barber1997,
topicsthatarerelatedinonewayoranother
Brenneis1986). This would includeliterary
criticism'sinterest
in readership
(Barthes
1975),theattention
givento audienceinculturalstudies(Hall 1993,Radway1984),and
certainsemioticapproachesto thestudyof popularcultureand publicspectacle(Yoka
havecometo understand
2000). Manyanthropologists
(via VolosinovandBakhtin)that
is anoutcomeofspeechandnotnecessarily
thatprecedesit,butoutside
meaning
something
oftherather
limitedscope of an earlieranthropological
on theethnography
of
literature
researchhas
speaking(BaumanandSherzer1972,Hymes1974),verylittleethnographic
inthecobeendoneon audiencesoron thelargerquestionofhowaudiencesparticipate
ofmeaning(White2000).
production
Recentworkon audiencesin Africaclearlyhas thepotentialto invigorate
multiinAfricanStudies(Barber1997,Jewsiewicki
research
1996,Meintjes1990).
disciplinary
This new area of inquiryasks important
questionsaboutpowerand thepost-colonial
state(Fabian 1996,Richards1996),and it is notreluctant
to discusstheproductsand
ofpopularculturethatis highlycommodified
1992,Larkin
(Jules-Rosette
performances
most
of
this
research
has
taken
visual
formsof
1997, Meyer2000). Unfortunately
and
has
it
involved
the
culturalexpressionas its primary
of
object study, onlyrarely
in
on
use ofquantitative
research.
While
the
literature
growing
approaches ethnographic
in
in
of
an
urban
music
Africa
often
looks
at
and
popular
performance questions identity

224

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Audience-BasedResearchin theEra ofDemocratization

itis moreconcerned
withmusiciansthanwithaudiences(Erlmann1996,Turino
setting,
in theethnographic
2000). Therehas also beena growinginterest
studyof audiencesof
variousformsof mass media such as television(Abu-Lughod2005), radio(Spitulnik
events(Schulz 1999) andadvertising
(Burke1996).
1999),mass-media
Much of thisresearchshowsthatthemeaningsassociatedwithpopularcultureare
theresultof a complexco-production
betweenartistsand theiraudiencesand between
A close examination
audiencesthemselves.
ofhowtheseproducts
areusedandwhatthey
meancan giveaccess to newwaysof imagining
politicaland social life.In manyways,
contributions
of thistypeof researchare methodological.
however,themostimportant
Audience-basedethnographic
researchshows one way of combiningqualitativeand
(since researchwithaudiencesdependson relatively
quantitative
methodologies
large
itdemonstrates
numbers
ofparticipants)
andthrough
theuse ofrecursive
how
techniques
certaintypesof ethnographic
datacan be used to generateadditionaldata forresearch.
Themethodologies
usedinthisresearch
interviews,
emphasizegroupas wellas individual
andtheanalysisofthedatabenefits
froman approachthatis simultaneously
text-based
andethnographic.

ResearchContextandMethodology

As part of a multi-sited
international
researchinitiativeorganizedaroundthe
of
of
the
question audience, "Ethnographies Listening"projectset out to explorethe
in Kinshasa.Thisprojectwas initiated
as a followsocialorganization
ofmusiclistening
in
to
doctoral
research
conducted
Bob
White
1995-1996
on
Kinshasa's
by
popular
up
musicindustry.
Whilerevisinghis doctoraldissertation
forpublication,
Whitedecided
to separatetheaudienceaspectfromhis originalresearchand to organizea largermore
and morevariedsourcesof funding1.
systematic
studywitha smallteamof researchers
decided
Yoka
was
contacted
the
phaseandthetworesearchers
Lye
during grant-writing
tocombinetheirefforts
topool resourcesandensurebetter
results.The researchteamfor
thisprojectis madeup oftwounits,one inMontreal(underthesupervision
ofWhite)and
inMontrealin
oneinKinshasa(underthesupervision
ofYoka).Whitebeganpreparations
thefallof2002 andtraveledto Kinshasainthesummers
of2003 and2004 to implement
thefirst
twophasesof research(individualinterviews
and groupinterviews).
Following
were
thethirdphase of research(data analysis),a seriesof seminarsand conferences
in Canada and theUS. As theprojectis still
heldin Kinshasaand variousuniversities
inthispaperarepreliminary.
thefindings
underway,
presented
Researchon audiencesis demanding,
becauseofthenumber
ofparticipants
primarily
the diversity
of a givencommunity.
The sheersize of such an
requiredto represent
makestheprospect
ofaudience-based
researchdaunting
tomostresearchers.
undertaking
In additionto thefinancial
resourcesneeded,thelogisticsofthistypeofworkrequiresa
to be effective.
Whitecameto theprojectwithveryparticular
largeteamofresearchers
ideas about the principleof collaborativeresearch,an ideal thathas permeatedhis
in thepoliticsof representation
(White2002). The idea
teachingand fuelledhis interest

1.

The authors would like to express their gratitude for funding support from the Social Sciences and
Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the Fonds Qubcois de la Recherche sur la Socit et la
Culture(FQRSC), and especially the Wenner-GrenFoundation forAnthropologicalResearch (International
Collaborative Research GrantProgram).

Civilisations
vol.LIV,ns1-2 - Expriences
derecherche
enRDC

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Bob W. White cYoka Lye

to Yoka and theothermembers

of collaborative
researchis one thatseemedinteresting
it was nota necessarycondition
of theKinshasateam,thoughfromtheirperspective
of theresearchand in manyrespectsit seemedidealisticand
forthe implementation
of White'snotion
artificially
imposedfromtheoutside.The ideologicalunderpinnings
but
oftheresearchmethodology
ofcollaboration
causedsometensionintheelaboration
and
italso provokeda seriesofdiscussionsaboutpoliticalculturein a timeoftransition
confusion.
The researchwas divided into threephases: individualquestionnaires,
group
in thefirstphase of research
and data analysis.Individualquestionnaires
interviews,
wereintended
to produceinformation
abouthow people in Kinshasaconsumepopular
areperceivedas havinghadthemostimpacton local
musicandwhichsongsand artists
audiences.The resultsofthissurveyenabledtheteamto compilea listofapproximately
250 songsthatcouldbe takentobe representative
ofpopularmusicsincethe1950s.Group
inordertoobservethewaysthatmusicactivateslocaldebates
wereconducted
interviews
relationsand generational
difference.
The
aboutpoliticalculture,
male-female
morality,
of researchresults- is stillin its
thirdphaseof research- data analysisand diffusion
untilthespringorsummer
of2006.
stagesandshouldcontinue
preliminary
Thefirst
on individual
listening
phaseoftheresearchincludeda surveyquestionnaire
habitsand preferences
thatwereadministered
usingrandomsampletechniquesin six
ofthecity'sethnic
andsocio-economic
zonestakentoberepresentative
diversity.
municipal
1
1
we
decided
tofocus
the
of
and
99
(
),
Following sampling
methodology Schoepf Engundu
and
two
middleourenergieson tworelatively
(Masina
Lingwala),
poorneighborhoods
and
and
two
class neighborhoods
(Bandai
Lemba),
relatively
wealthyneighborhoods
(Limeteand Macampagne).The PersonalListeningSurvey(PLS) soughtthreetypesof
and demographic
fromrespondents
information
(see appendix1): basic socio-economic
about
data (anonymousand separatefromtherestof thesurvey),specificinformation
in
of
music
and
habits
relation
to
various
types Congolese
(popular
listening buying
exercisewith
dancemusic,religiousmusicand urbantraditional
music),and a ranking
"hit"songswhichwerelaterused to elicitdiscussionduringthegroupinterviews
(see
appendix2)2.Afterbeingtestedand modified(initiallywiththeCongolesecommunity
in Montreal),the surveywas administered
to approximately
500 people in Kinshasa,
theirpersonal
thatmostcloselyreflected
each of whomselectedthemusicalgeneration
or religious
interests
and experience(respondents
couldchooseone of fourgenerations
a twoassistants
who
underwent
The
PLS
was
administered
a
team
of
research
music).
by
The
seminar
on
methods
and
elicitation
techniques3. PLS
survey
daytraining
sampling,
and
includedmultiple-choice
questions.
questions open-ended
questions,
gradedranking
A secondary
forgroupinterviews,
potential
participants
goalofthesurveywas toidentify
whichwouldtakeplace inthesecondphaseofresearch.
in theopen-endedgroupinterviews
of phasetwowereselectedon the
Participants
basis of theiravailability(since schedulingof groupsposed considerabledifficulties)
2. To consultan on-lineversionof the surveyin French,visi/http://www.atalaku.net/pages/survey/index.
html
3. In alphabetical
order,Jean-Claude
Diyongo,JeanLiyongo,HenriMubenga,Leon Tsambu,EmeryMayay,
as researchassistantandprojectadministrator,
Mbila. SergeMakobo,whoactedsimultaneously
Rigobert
intheeveryday
oftheproject.
deservesspecialmention
forhisworkandinvestment
operations

226

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Audience-Based
intheEra ofDemocratization
Research

butalso withan eyetowardrepresentativeness

withintheircommunities.
Homogeneous
groupsincludedfiveto eightpeopleof thesameage, gender,or religiousbeliefs,to the
extentthatthiswas possible.Heterogeneous
groupshadthesamenumberofparticipants
buttheyweremadeup ofpeopleofmixedsocialcategories(forexamplea groupofmen
fromtwodifferent
ora groupofmenandwomenfromthesamegeneration).
generations
The purposeof homogenousgroupswas to see if patternsemergefromdiscussions
betweenpeopleof similarsocial categories(menand women,youngand old, Christian
andnon-Christian,
toobservethenature
etc.).Heterogeneous
groupsenabledresearchers
ofdebatesthatoccurbetweenpeopleofdifferent
socialcategories.
In somecircumstances
heterogeneous
groupswereverylivelyand productive
(forexamplea mixedgroupof
fansfromthethirdand fourth
of musicians),butelsewherethisstrategy
was
generation
filledwithtensionand long,awkwardsilences(as in thecase of one groupinterview
whichincludedpracticing
andnon-practicing
Christians).
enabledresearchers
to answertwo sets of questions.First,what
Groupinterviews
is therelationship
betweenKinshasa'slongstanding
tradition
of popularmusicand the
urban
what
can
the
of
Second,
city'sunique
identity?
study popularmusictellus about
social organization
in theCongo's current
and inequality
politicaland economiccrisis?
Variousexperimental
researchtechniqueswere used forgroupinterviews(personal
and viewingexercises,drawingactivities)and an informal
histories,
listening
listening
interview
was
maintained
interviews
in thehomesof participants
setting
by conducting
oratcommonmeeting
such
as
or
centers.In thefinal
restaurants,
bars, community
spaces
of
the
from
data
collected
the
PLS
and
from
the
willbe
research,
phase
groupinterviews
the
discourse
and
semiotics.
analyzedby
principalinvestigators
using
analysis
applied
Written
sourcessuch as song lyricswill be combedforrecurring
phrases,keywords
and metaphors,
withspecial attention
to statements
moralclaimsor value
containing
Oral
sources
will
be
transcribed
and
in
the
same
judgments.
analyzed
wayand will also
serveas a sourceofinformation
abouttheintertextual
natureofsonglyricsandeveryday
speech.

Democratization
and PopularMusic

In theteam'searlydiscussionsaboutresearchmethodology,
a considerableamount
of timewas spenton thequestionof samplingtechniques,
namelyhow to ensurethat
wereadministered
ina waythatwas bothrandomandrepresentative.
But
questionnaires
therealityoffieldresearchandtheconstraints
imposedbylimitedtimeandmoneyled to
discussionsamongthemembersoftheteamabouttheverynotionofrepresentativeness
and whether
or notit was important
forthestudyof popularmusic,eitherin Kinshasa
or in general.Duringtheteam'sfirstmeetingsin thesummerof 2003, Whiteinsisted
on the importance
of administering
the surveysto roughlyequal numbersof people
acrossvarioussocialcategories
socio-economic
status,andreligious
(gender,generation,
thisrule,he argued,wouldensurethatpeoplefromall walksof
affiliation).
Respecting
lifewereallowedtoparticipate
inthestudyandthattheresultscouldbe saidtoreflect
the
of perspectives
in Kinshasa.The Congolesemembersof theteamagreedwith
diversity
theimportance
of elaborating
a researchstrategy
thatwas consistent
withmethodology
inthesocialandhumansciencesbutsomeofthemhadreservations
abouttheapplication
of thesamplingtechnique.Therewas considerableconcernaboutlogistics,whichwas
notsurprising
ofdoingresearchin Kinshasa,a cityofmorethanfive
giventhedifficulty
Civilisations
vol.LIV,nos1-2 - Expriences
derecherche
enRDC

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227

Bob W. White & Yoka Lye

millionpeople,wherepoverty
andunemployment
areendemicandtransportation
is highly
Therewas a clearpreference
unpredictable.
amongtheresearchassistantsto interview
peopleconsideredto be expertson music,notonlybecausetheywereless numerous,
butalso becauseitwas thought
to participate.
Butthere
theywouldbe moremotivated
werealso epistemological
concernswiththesamplingtechnique.Severalmembersof
theteamexpresseddiscomfort
withtoo rigidan applicationof themethodology
on the
basisthat"Cartesianthinking
doesnotalwaysapplytoourAfrican
tradition"
(Yoka).The
exigenciesof a systematic
approachto samplingwerethusperceivedof as a guidethat
shouldbe appliedwherepossible,butnotan absoluterule.
An interest
inaudiencesorreception
is notcommonintheCongo,especiallybecause
thereis a greatdeal of suspicionsurrounding
surveysand questionnaires,
practicesthat
wereoftenassociatedwiththeactivities
ofMobutu'spowerful
secretservices.Theresult
of thissuspicionis an attitude
of self-censorship
or a tendencytowardanecdote.This
was certainly
thecase withthesecondpartof thesurvey,a seriesof 29 questionsthat
was supposedto providesupplementary
information
abouttherespondent,
his or her
socio-economic
habitsandfamilybackground.
the
2003
team
situation,
listening
During
Whiteexplainedthatthispartofthequestionnaire
shouldonlyoccurat theend
meeting
of theinterview
and thattheresearchassistantsshouldreassurerespondents
thattheir
wouldremaincompletely
On
more
than
one
occasion,
however,
identity
anonymous4.
severalassistants
their
dissatisfaction
with
the
29
and
Yoka
echoed
emphasized
questions
theirsentiment.
Some oftheirconcernswereaddressedin the2003 meetings
beforethe
andorderofcertain
issuesthat
survey
phasebegan(forexampleinthewording
questions,
wereresolvedin somecases thanksto theteamin Montreal).Otherconcernsremained
inspiteofthemodifications
tothequestionsandsomewereevenexacerbated.
"Thispart
of thequestionnaire
was designedforWesterners",
said one memberof theteamafter
administered
havingpersonally
nearly150 questionnaires
(Tsambu).It was considered
and
in
terms
of
to ethnicity,
unruly,
lengthy indiscrete,
especially
questionspertaining
level
of
and
income.
There
was
concern
that
this
education, monthly
parents'
partofthe
led
to
on
the
in
of
and
some
cases
assistants
questionnaire
suspicion
part respondents,
the
order
of
the
to
address
the
most
sensitive
last.
In
certain
changed
questions
questions
cases assistants
those
that
seemed
too
sensitive.
simplydropped
questions
Despitethese
certain
in
this
of
the
were
considered
to
validforthe
be
concerns,
questions
part
survey
contextofthesurvey,
forexamplethegenreidentification
exercise(question#23)orthe
musicians(question#24).
questionthataskedforfreelistingoffavorite
In August2004,afterthemajority
ofthesurveyshad beencompleted,
thedatafrom
theapproximately
500 interviews
was enteredintoan Excel spreadsheet
to facilitate
the
of
results
to
different
criteria.
What
resulted
a
was
series
of
comparison
according
song
listsbygeneration
thatindicated
therelative
scoresforeachofthesongs.Usingtheaverage
scoreforeach generation
as a cutoff
250
point,thelistswerereducedto approximately
out
over
five
musical
Before
the
results
to
the
other
titles,spread
generations.
showing
membersof theteam,Whitewas reluctant
to investtoo muchmeaningin thefigures,
sincein manycases thedifference
betweendifferent
songs'scoreswerenotstatistically
Most
members
of
the
team
that
the
of certainscoreswas a
significant.
agreed
proximity
4. Forthispurposetherewas a tearawayidentity
sheet,whichwas optional,andwhichservedas a meansof
thoseparticipants
in future
interested
recontacting
phasesoftheresearchproject.

228

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Audience-Based
intheEra ofDemocratization
Research

butone teammembercountered
numbers
potential
problem,
by sayingthat"sometimes
matter"
of
(Diyongo).Yoka tolda storyabouthoweveryoneknowstheexactpercentage
5 000 university
who neverworkedfortheMobutu
Congo's approximately
professors
regime(somewhereless than5%) and thatthisfigurehad an important
impacton the
"If we use figures",one assistantsaid, "thenpeople will
perceptionof intellectuals.
White
respectthat"."This is true",said Yoka,"butthiscan also lead to demagoguery".
and
interjected
sayingthatin his opinionitwouldbe betterto explaintheshortcomings
in thestudyand letpeoplejudge forthemselves
biasesinherent
thequalityor relevance
of thefindings.
he said,"is an important
"Thistransparency",
partof themethodology,
itthatway.Thequestionofhowwe present
butwe don'tnecessarily
havetopresent
these
is veryimportant,
andthisis thequestionbeforeus today".
findings
oftheteamhowtheythought
theprojectshould
Whitethenaskedtheothermembers
be presented,
tobe ofinterest
tothegeneralpublic:
especiallygiventheproject'spotential
froma televisionshowthattakescallersor a newspaper
"How is ourapproachdifferent
thatpublisheslettersfromreaders?"In responseto this questiontherewas general
: theinternational
on a number
ofdistinguishing
characteristics
makeupofthe
agreement
natureofthe
research
team,a long-term
approachtotheresearchquestion,thesystematic
a
Thenone of theassistantssuggestedthattheresearchteamrepresented
methodology.
aboutourapproach
kindof"all-star"formation
(selectionnationale): "Whatis different
forthisproject
is thatas a teamwe comeoutofnowhere,
we cametogether
specifically
in ourmethodology"
and thatis reflected
(Makobo). He continuedin thisdirection
by
and
the
a
between
the
research
team
Musica,
Wenge
flagshipgroup
making comparison
ofthefourth
musicalgeneration,
andone ofthemostsuccessfulmusicalempiresto have
oftheleadersoftheprevious
brokenontothelocal musicsceneoutsideoftheconstraints
wanted
to
do
musicalgeneration.
democratic",
"Wenge
something
explainedMakobo,
but
not
charismatic.
were
all equal, they
not
democratic
"well,maybe
definitely
They
startedtheband as equals and thatwas thesecretof theirsuccess".Yoka arguedthat
leadersandWhiteaddedthattherehavealwaysbeen
therehavealwaysbeencharismatic
to
undo
that
leadership.
Theybothagreedthattheproblemoccurswhencertain
attempts
anda sphere
members
decideto leavethegroupto establishtheircharismatic
leadership
the
democratic
ofinfluence
"This
is
"Does
White,
(la dislocation).
interjected
interesting"
sinks
in.
it
work?"
There
is
some
silence
as
the
"Maybe works",offers
metaphor
question
someone
whowantsto splitfrom
"but
the
is
subverted
Yoka,
by
politicalproject always
in
thegroup".Immediately
:
"What
one oftheassistants
jumped
keepstheteamtogether
is thecommongoal,thework.Andthisis revolutionary,
buteveryrevolutionary
project
is in dangerofbeingsubverted.
Forrealchangeto occur,we haveto changethewaywe
ourattitudes"
think,
(Diyongo).
are
The findings
thatare emerging
fromthisstudysuggestthatchangesin attitude
if
the
as
to
emanate
from
audiences
as
are
from
music
has
musicians;
just likely
they
potentialto act uponindividualsand audiences,thenclearlyindividualsand audiences
can actuponthemusic,andmusicinturncan actuponsociety.A musicianwhodisplays
with
behaviorin his privatelifeor in theway thathe interacts
morallyreprehensible
othermusicianswill oftenbe sanctionedin termsof audienceloyalty;thisobservation
was confirmed
intheranking
ofhitsongs.ForexamplePapa WembaandKoffiOlomide,
as
two
of
themostimportant
andcertainly
themostinternationally
generally
recognized
artists
from
in
ofthe
did
not
do
as
well
the
as themembers
Kinshasa,
recognized
ranking
research
teamwouldhaveexpected.Audiencescan reactnegatively
topopularmusicians
Civilisations
vol.LIV,nos1-2 - Expriences
derecherche
enRDC

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ZZ9

Bob W. White cYoka Lye

forvariousreasons:evidenceof involvement
in illegal or criminalactivity(such as
Wemba'sinvolvement
in an illegalimmigration
scandal),brutalor violentbehavior(for
a concertin 2004),theuse ofwitchcraft
with
exampleKoffi'sviolentoutburst
following
maliciousintent
The appreciation
of musicians'
(White2004), or thevice of arrogance.
value as artistsis intimately
linkedwiththeirpositionas moralagentsand whenthis
is calledintoquestion,audiencesin Kinshasatendto votewiththeirears.Yoka
morality
continued
tothinkthrough
thequestionofthedemocratic
metaphor:
This is...thisis
"Bob, theotherday you weretalkingaboutdemocratic
resurgence.
intuitive
butitis nottotallywrong.You weresaying,couldthisbe a kindofdemocratic
intuition?
In spiteof all theproblems[withtheWestern
notionof democracy],
I thinkit
intuition.
mightbe true.A democratic
People look at musiciansand theystarttojudge
them.Theysay:ifyou'rea thief,
we won'tlistento youanymore".
Thiswas perhapsthesamereasoning
thatled one participant
in a groupinterview
to
sinceunlikein therealmofpolitics,
arguethatin popularmusicthereis no corruption,
thanyourethnic
yourchancesforsuccesshavemoreto do withtalentandperseverance
affiliation
orwhoyouknow.Butitis also possiblethatthequestionofdemocratization,
whichwas introduced
intotothediscussionbyWhite,reflects
a Western
bias andthatthe
othermembersof theteamweresimplyresponding
to a new versionof a longstanding
preoccupationamong foreigners
workingand travelingin the region:responsible
leadership.
Due tothelimitations
ofspacewe havenotbeenable to fullyaddresswhathappened
the
"democratic
in thebeginning
transition"
of the 1990s,whenMobutumade
during
tentative
toward
the
of
democratic
reform.
Norhavewe coveredinanydetail
gestures
path
thequestionof howpopularcultureis relatedto politicsor politicalpractice,questions
thatwe hope to addressin future
however,we
publications.
Despitetheselimitations,
can saythatthesystematic
of
in
even
a
context
such
as
Kinshasa
where
study reception,
massmediais generally
considered
can
to
information
"primitive", bring lightimportant
abouthowtheproductsof popularculturemediatebetweenartistsand theiraudiences.
a criticalexamination
of researchmethodology
Furthermore,
suggeststhataudiencebasedresearch
uncoversimportant
of
the
between
formsof
aspects
relationship
everyday
socialization
as
to
and
the
in
a
(such listening popularmusic)
politicalimaginary particular
forthepurposesofthispublication,
ourresearchsuggeststhat
region.Mostimportantly
theprocessofresearchis itselfa terrain
forunderstanding
howparticular
methodological
orientations
andtheircorresponding
ideologies(especiallythosecomingfromscientific
in theWest)influence
traditions
theemergence
ofparticular
typesofresearchquestions
andscholarly
sociability.

230

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Audience-Based
intheEra ofDemocratization
Research

References
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Meintjes,Louise, 1990. "Paul Simon's'Graceland',SouthAfrica,and theMediationof Musical Meaning",
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Bob W. White & Yoka Lye

NationalPublics:AudienceConstructions
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Spitulnik,
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Durham,N.C.! Duke University
and PopularMusic in Zimbabwe.Chicago: University
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White,Bob W.
2000. "Modernity's
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232

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All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Audience-Based
intheEra ofDemocratization
Research

Appendix1

PersonalListeningSurvey

Instructions
1. Choisissezuneou deuxdes quatrepriodesou gnrations
musicalesindiques
les gnrations
vous
connaissez
le mieux.
ci-dessous.Choisissezseulement
que
lre
etc.
:
gnrationWendo,Feruzi,Bowane,
2egnration
: Kall,Franco,Rochereau,etc.
3egnration
: Zaiko LangaLanga,EmpireBakuba,Viva la Musica,etc.
4egnration
: WengeMusica,Koffi,FlixWazekwa,etc.
: DenisNgonde,Makoma,CharlesMombaya
La musiquereligieusecontemporaine
de
2. Lisez la listedes chansonsci-jointeet donnezvotreopinionsurla popularit
chaquechanson.
valuez les
Par exemple: partirde la liste qui accompagnece questionnaire,
chansonsune par une. Pour celles que vous jugez commefaisantpartiedes dix plus
le chiffre
[6] dansla colonne
grandeschansonsde la musiquecongolaise,attribuez-leur
celles
vous
attribuez
le
chiffre
De
mme,
[5]
pour
que
jugez comme
correspondante.
faisantpartiedes 50 plusgrandeschansonsde la musiquecongolaiseetainside suite,[4]
et [3] pourles 500 plusgrandes.Indiquezle chiffre
[2] pourles
pourles 100plusgrandes,
chansonsqui sontmoinsconnues,soitles 1000plusgrandeschansons.Pourunechanson
que vousne connaissezpas ou qui ne devraitpas fairepartiedu top 100,indiquez[1].
6. : untrsgrandsuccs
5. : un grandsuccs
4. : un succs
3. : unechansonconnue
2. : unechansonplusou moinsconnue
1. : unechansoninconnue
Une seulerponseparquestion,SVP.
Attention
: En rpondantaux questions,rappelez-vousqu'il s'agit des chansons
Un
de vos chansonsprfres.
les plus connuesou populaires,et pas ncessairement
tube,c'est une chansonqui est reconnaissable
par le plus grandnombrede personnes,
Un tube,c'est une
de l'ge, de la religion,du sexe ou de l'ethnicit.
indpendamment
chansonqui a marqusonpoque.
rpondez la sriede questionsrelatives votre
Aprsavoirremplile questionnaire,
situation
de vie.
est de pouvoircomparerles habitudes
L'objectifde cettepartiedu questionnaire
restera
de vie.Il estimportant
de souligner
d'couteavecvotresituation
que votreidentit
anonyme.
Nepas crirevotrenomsurce formulaire
de l'entrevue:
Date etheuredu commencement
Lieu de l'entrevue:
Numrod'entrevue:
Nombredes personnes
:
prsentes

derecherche
enRDC
Civilisations
vol.LIV,nos1-2- Expriences

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233

Bob W. White 6cYoka Lye

Rpondezauxquestionssuivantes:
1. Quel ge avez-vous?
2. Quel estvotresexe?
matrimoniale
?
Quelleestvotresituation
Avez-vousdes enfants
?
3. O tes-vousn(e)? (Ville,quartier,
pays,combiende tempsy tes-vousrest(e)?)
4. O avez-vouspass votreenfance
?
5. O avez-vouspass le plusgrandnombred'annesde votreenfance?
6. Depuiscombiende tempsvivez-vous Kinshasa?
7. Niveaude scolarit:
0 - Primaire
:
0 - Secondaire:
0 - Universitaire
:
8. O estn votrepre?
O a-t-ilgrandi?
Combiend'annesde scolarita-t-ileues?
sonoccupation?
Quelleest/tait
O estne votremre?
O a-t-ellegrandi?
Combiend'annesde scolarita-t-elleeues?
9. Quelleestvotreorigineethnique?
10.Quelleestla langueque vousutilisezle plus la maison?
11. Quelleestvotreoccupationprincipale
?
12.a. Quel le minimum
qu'il vousfautpourvivreparjour?
b. Y arrivezvous?
13. Comment
faites-vous
pournouerles deuxbouts la findu mois?
14. Etes-vousmembred'uneEglise? Laquelle?
15.Vosparentssont-ilsou taient-ils
membres
d'uneEglise? Laquelle?
16. Combiende foisparsemaineassistezvous des runions
religieuses(prire,messe,
runionadministrative,
etc.?
17.Avez-vousdj voyagen dehorsdu Congo?
Si oui,o,quandetpourcombiende temps?

234

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Audience-Based
in theEra ofDemocratization
Research

18. Indiquezles biensdontvous tespropritaire

ou auxquelsvous avez accs tousles
jours?
maison
voiture
fixe
tlphone
rchaud
tlvision
portable
radiocassette
ordinateur
magnto
19.Avez-vousdes membres
de la famillevivant l'tranger?
20. Vousaident-ils
vivre?
21. Quels typesde musiquesconnaissez-vous?
22. Y en a-t-ilque vousn'coutezpas?
vous?
23. LesquellescoutezJamais

Genre

Rarement

Parfois

Souvent

Exclusivement

Religieuse
Folklorique
Modeme
Amricaine
Franaise
Africaine
Reggae
Rap
Worldmusic
Classique
Jazz
Country
Techno
Autres

24. Citezparordreles artistes

que vousavez l'habituded'couter:
25. Comment
vousprocurezvous la musique(achat,prt,etc.) :
a. Achetezvous les K7 ou les CD?
b. Evaluezla frquence
d'achat(rarement,
parfois,souvent,
toujours)
26. Combienpayez-vousunCD, uneK7 ?
27. Combiende K7/CD achetezvousparmois?
K7 : CD :

Civilisations
vol.LIV,nos1-2 - Expriences
derecherche
enRDC

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oO

Bob W. White & Yoka Lye

28. Combiende K7/CDavez-vous?

K7 : CD :
29. Assistezvous des concerts?
a. Quel genre?
b. Combiende foisparmois?
vousparconcert?
Combiend'argentdpensez participer
la deuximephasede cettetude,veuillezdtacher
Si voustesintress(e)
etremplir
la feuillesuivante.
Nous vous remercions
vivement
de votreparticipation
et nousvous invitons
consulter
le sitewww.atalaku.net
suivre
de
l'volution
des
recherches.
pour
prs
Heurede finde l'entrevue:
en minutes:
Duretotalede l'entrevue
Veuillez
dtachercettefeuilleSVP
Pourensavoirplussurce projetde recherche,
veuillezdtacher
etremplir
cettefeuillequi
doittreremisesparment
avec le questionnaire.
'Oui, j'aimerais en savoirplus de votreprojetde recherche9
Nom :
Numrode tlphone:
Adresse:
Le meilleurmoment
pourvousjoindre:
Jeconnaisquelqu'und'autrequi pourrait
s'intresser
au projet:
galement
Nom :
Tlphone:

236

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