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License:
NOODL-1.0
Steward:
Institute of African Digital HumanitiesDataset ID:
cmqj77tl801khnr07y04ds10p
Release Date: 6/18/2026
Format: WAV, XML
Size: 260.86 MB
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EMAC-Dataset-Congo is a digitised ethnomusicological audio collection dedicated to the documentation and preservation of traditional vocal music from the Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville), known at the time of collection as the République Populaire du Congo. The dataset was constituted in the framework of the Ethnomusicologie d'Afrique Centrale (EMAC) project, initiated by CERDOTOLA (Centre de Recherche et de Documentation sur les Traditions Orales et pour le Développement des Langues Africaines) following the founding meeting held in Sangmélima, Cameroon, from 17 to 22 September 1979. The dataset comprises 2 high-quality WAV audio recordings representing two distinct oral music genres: the berceuse (lullaby) and the chante-fable. The recordings were originally captured on magnetic tape and digitised in 2015 at CERDOTOLA in Yaoundé, Cameroon, under the coordination of Dr. Emmanuel Ngue Um, using Adobe Audition 3.0. At the time of the Sangmélima meeting (1979), the Republic of Congo was represented by Jean-Fidèle Poaty, who described a solid administrative and academic infrastructure for cultural development, including the Radiodiffusion-Télévision Congolaise (RTC), the Université Marien Ngouabi, and the Musée National. Although ethnomusicological research had not yet been formalised as a priority, the Congo's participation in the EMAC project produced a documentary set of recordings preserved in this dataset. As an ethnomusicological rather than a linguistic dataset, EMAC-Dataset-Congo does not provide transcriptions or sentence-level alignments.
Licensing
Nwulite Obodo Open Data Licence 1.0 (NOODL-1.0)
https://licensingafricandatasets.com/nwulite-obodo-licenseRestrictions/Special Constraints
By downloading this dataset, you agree: - To use it for research, education, and cultural heritage purposes only - That you will not re-host or re-share this dataset without the explicit permission of the legal owner
Forbidden Usage
You agree not to use the data for: determining the identity of any performer in the dataset; attempting to clone any voice or train models that imitate any performer in this dataset; Generative AI; reproduction; duplication; modification; augmentation; copying; distribution; transmission; display; sale; transfer; publication or creation of derivative works without the explicit permission of the legal owner of the dataset.
Intended Use
(a) Ethnomusicological and cultural heritage tasks: - Ethnomusicological research: The dataset provides authentic recordings of Congolese lullaby and chante-fable traditions and is suited for the study of vocal style, narrative structure, and genre conventions in Central African oral music. - Cultural heritage archiving: The dataset contributes to the digital preservation of intangible cultural heritage from the Republic of Congo, supporting institutions involved in the documentation of African oral traditions. - Cross-cultural comparative analysis: Used alongside the other six EMAC country datasets, these recordings enable comparative studies of shared and divergent oral music traditions across Central Africa. (b) Computational and technological tasks: - Computational ethnomusicology: Audio signal analysis, genre classification, and acoustic modelling using traditional Central African vocal music as data. Ethical Review Process All recordings were collected with the knowledge and participation of the performers and their affiliated institutions. The dataset is made available for research and educational use in the spirit of the EMAC project's mission of documenting and promoting Central African musical heritage.
The Republic of Congo hosts diverse oral music traditions tied to its numerous ethnic communities, including the Kongo, Teke, Mboshi, and Sangha peoples, among others. Congolese traditional music is characterised by rich vocal polyphony, percussion-based rhythmic structures, and a strong tradition of community performance in which music accompanies ceremony, domestic life, and storytelling. The genres represented in this dataset — the berceuse and the chante-fable — belong to the sphere of domestic and community vocal performance, where music functions as a vehicle for childcare, memory, and narrative transmission. Despite the brevity of this sub-corpus, these two recordings offer a window into the vocal traditions of the Congo as documented during the EMAC project.
Berceuse (BER): A traditional lullaby genre performed vocally. One session is represented (BER_001, 1 audio file).
Chante-fable (CHF): A hybrid narrative genre combining sung passages with spoken prose, characteristic of Central African oral literature. One session is represented (CHF_001, 1 audio file).
The musical traditions represented in this dataset are transmitted exclusively through oral and performative channels — through family apprenticeship, community performance, and participation in social and domestic events. No standardised written notation system is employed for these genres. The berceuse is transmitted within the family sphere; the chante-fable circulates through community performance events where singers and storytellers combine musical and narrative registers. The EMAC recordings document elicited performances in a controlled environment.
The recordings in this dataset were collected by researchers and technicians of the EMAC project in the Republic of Congo, approximately between 1979 and 1982. The project engaged the Radiodiffusion-Télévision Congolaise, the Université Marien Ngouabi, and the Musée National as institutional reference points. Jean-Fidèle Poaty, 1er Attaché at the Embassy of the République Populaire du Congo in Cameroon, represented the country at the Sangmélima founding meeting. The original recordings were stored on magnetic tape at CERDOTOLA and digitised in 2015 under the coordination of Dr. Emmanuel Ngue Um.
The recordings represent two genres of traditional vocal music from the Republic of Congo: a lullaby and a chante-fable. All performances were elicited in a controlled recording environment at the request of the EMAC project.
Total audio duration: approximately 45 minutes (2,729 seconds), distributed across 2 WAV audio files. IMDI 3.03 XML metadata files: 1 (corpus-level only), in IMDI/ subfolder.
The dataset comprises 2 WAV audio files organised as follows:
EMAC_CG_BER_001-1-1.wav — Berceuse 001 (1 part of 1)
EMAC_CG_CHF_001-1-1.wav — Chante-fable 001 (1 part of 1)
File naming convention: EMAC_{CC}{GENRE}{NNN}-{part}-{total}.wav
CC = ISO country code (CG = Republic of Congo)
GENRE = genre code (BER, CHF)
NNN = zero-padded session number
part / total = part index and total number of parts for multi-file sessions
IMDI metadata files (IMDI/ subfolder):
EMAC_Congo.imdi — Corpus-level (Ethnomusicologie du Congo)
| Audio file | Genre | Session | Parts |
|---|---|---|---|
| EMAC_CG_BER_001-1-1.wav | Berceuse | 001 | 1/1 |
| EMAC_CG_CHF_001-1-1.wav | Chante-fable | 001 | 1/1 |