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The anxiety of blowing: experiences of breath and brass instruments in Benin
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 May 2019
Abstract
Within amateur musical circles in Benin, one is told that if a male blows too hard into a brass instrument his testicles might swell up, fall off, or even run away. Concerned parents warn their children against ‘blowing’ brass instruments, telling stories of inguinal hernias and infertility, and many maintain that male brass players must take preventative measures. Accompanying this unease about blowing out is a complementary concern with breathing in, and the possible inhalation of micro-organisms or poison through the mouth. Engaging with this anxiety of blowing, this article takes seriously my interlocutors’ concern with the consequences of playing brass instruments on their bodies. My main argument is that understandings of the precarious nature of breath are at the core of musicians’ experiences of anxiety. My exploration of the relation between breath, anxiety and the body supports a common phenomenology of breathing across cultures, and serves to advance breath as an important site of meaning making.
Résumé
Dans les cercles musicaux amateurs du Bénin, on dit d'un homme qui souffle trop fort dans un instrument à vent en cuivre qu'il risque de voir ses testicules gonfler, tomber, voire s'enfuir. Les parents soucieux de leur progéniture déconseillent à leurs enfants de « souffler » dans les cuivres, à grand renfort d'histoires d'hernies inguinales et de stérilité, et ils sont nombreux à affirmer que les joueurs de cuivres de sexe masculin doivent prendre des mesures préventives. Cette gêne de souffler s'accompagne d'une crainte complémentaire liée à l'aspiration et à la possibilité d'inhaler des micro-organismes ou des substances toxiques par la bouche. Traitant de l'anxiété liée à l'action de souffler, cet article prend au sérieux les inquiétudes des interlocuteurs de l'auteur quant aux conséquences de la pratique des cuivres sur leur corps. Selon l'argument principal de l'auteur, les interprétations de la nature précaire de la respiration sont au cœur de l'anxiété vécue par les musiciens. L'exploration de la relation entre respiration, anxiété et corps va dans le sens d'une phénoménologie commune de la respiration à travers les cultures, et sert à promouvoir la respiration comme champ important de production de sens.
- Type
- Benin studies
- Information
- Copyright
- Copyright © International African Institute 2019
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