The Problem with the Term “World Music”?
The term ‘world music’ was originally used to describe all other music that was ‘non-western’. The intention was to support and promote music from other cultures. The problem is this term is not only outdated but offensive as well. The term world music ostracizes people, particularly today. Where are people with mixed heritage left? Music does not belong to any one nation and the blending of different styles makes music beautiful, so to have a term that is not a genre but one that clearly separates and divides music and people can do more harm than good.
Having a term that so blatantly separates ‘western music’ from all other music is almost hypocritical. What are we to consider ‘western’? Would the music of the natives that inhabited these lands prior to the arrival of the settlers be considered ‘western’? What about those from other countries who arrived later? The western world is nothing if not a melting pot. There are people from so many countries, backgrounds, and walks of life, there is no need to separate or exclude anyone.
Everyone, every culture, and every nation each have something unique and beautiful to offer to the world, even beyond music. There is no need for separation because we can all learn from each other and we are all human. Sure, we may come from different places and speak different languages, but that’s not a bad thing. If we can grow into a world that is truly accepting of one another regardless of our differences then before long we’ll start to see just how similar we really are. At our core, every human is very similar, we all have wants and needs. The path to a better and more loving world starts when we break down the walls of separation and learn to include rather than exclude.