Decolonial Creativity Theory: Reclaiming Purpose and Precision in African Music Composition

Abstract

African music composition is frequently misrepresented as intuitive or structurally indeterminate, a view that obscures the epistemic intentionality embedded in indigenous creative systems. This study addresses the absence of a coherent theoretical model capable of explaining African composition as a purposeful and precise practice grounded in culturally situated logics. Using a desk‑based, multi‑method design, the research analysed 85 scholarly texts, 65 musical scores, 70 archival recordings, 10 oral testimonies, and 5 video performances through qualitative content analysis, compositional mapping, and contextual review. The analysis revealed recurring indigenous principles, including cyclical form, layered tonal organisation, polyrhythmic structures, and communal aesthetics, present in 87% of sampled works, demonstrating consistent patterns of structural deliberation and epistemic intent. These insights informed the development of Decolonial Creativity Theory (DCT), a framework that conceptualises African composition as a site of knowledge production, cultural sovereignty, and epistemic agency. DCT integrates purpose, precision, indigenous musical grammars, and Episto‑Musical Pedagogy Theory to explain how African composers craft meaning through relational, structural, and philosophical coherence. The study contributes a unified theoretical model for African musicology, offering implications for curriculum reform, decolonial pedagogy, creative practice, and cultural policy. By reframing African composition as an intellectually rigorous and knowledge‑bearing practice, the research advances ongoing efforts to decolonise global music scholarship and affirm the legitimacy of indigenous creative epistemologies.