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License:
NOODL-1.0
Steward:
Institute of African Digital HumanitiesDataset ID:
cmqj78kw201iknq07ceu0unhv
Task: OTH
Release Date: 6/18/2026
Format: WAV, XML
Size: 301.57 MB
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EMAC-Dataset-Gabon is a digitised ethnomusicological audio collection dedicated to the documentation and preservation of traditional vocal music from Gabon. 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 5 high-quality WAV audio recordings representing two distinct oral music genres: the chante-fable (distributed across 4 consecutive audio files) and the poème épique pastoral (1 audio file). 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. Gabon's contribution to the EMAC project produced a collection that is particularly valuable given the relative scarcity of systematic documentation of Gabonese traditional vocal music from this period. As an ethnomusicological rather than a linguistic dataset, EMAC-Dataset-Gabon does not provide transcriptions or sentence-level alignments. The dataset is best understood as a documentary record of Gabonese oral vocal traditions as they were performed and preserved in the context of the EMAC project.
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 Gabonese chante-fable and pastoral epic traditions and is suited for the study of vocal style, narrative structure, lyric form, and genre conventions in Central African oral music. - Cultural heritage archiving: Given the scarcity of systematic documentation of Gabonese traditional music from this period, the dataset constitutes a particularly valuable archival resource supporting digital heritage preservation. - 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, melodic transcription, and acoustic modelling using traditional Gabonese 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.
Gabon is home to a rich diversity of oral and musical traditions associated with its many ethnic communities, including the Fang, Beti, Myene, Kota, Punu, and others. Gabonese traditional music is characterised by polyrhythmic percussion, elaborate vocal polyphony, and a strong tradition of ceremonial and initiation music — most notably the Bwiti initiation ceremony, which involves extended musical performances of great ritual significance. The genres represented in this EMAC dataset — the chante-fable and the poème épique pastoral — belong to the sphere of community oral literature and lyric poetry, where song serves as a medium for narrative transmission and the expression of collective memory and aesthetic values.
Chante-fable (CHF): A hybrid narrative genre combining sung passages with spoken prose, widely attested across Central Africa. One session is represented across four consecutive audio files (CHF_001, parts 1–4 of 4).
Poème épique pastoral (PEP): A genre of pastoral epic poetry performed in a sung or melodic declamatory style. This genre, attested here for Gabon, is characterised by extended lyrical sequences dealing with pastoral, heroic, or community themes. One session is represented (PEP_001, 1 audio file).
The musical traditions represented in this dataset are transmitted exclusively through oral and performative channels. No standardised written notation system is employed for these genres. The chante-fable circulates through community performance events; the poème épique pastoral is associated with specialised performers who master extended lyrical repertoires through community apprenticeship. The EMAC recordings document elicited performances in a controlled environment and constitute primary archival evidence of these traditions.
The recordings in this dataset were collected by researchers and technicians of the EMAC project in Gabon, approximately between 1979 and 1982. The EMAC project did not produce a detailed country-level description for Gabon at the time of the Sangmélima meeting, making these audio recordings a particularly significant primary source. 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 Gabon: a chante-fable in four parts and a pastoral epic poem. All performances were elicited in a controlled recording environment at the request of the EMAC project.
Total audio duration: approximately 50 minutes (3,005 seconds), distributed across 5 WAV audio files. IMDI 3.03 XML metadata files: 1 (corpus-level only), in IMDI/ subfolder.
The dataset comprises 5 WAV audio files organised as follows:
EMAC_GA_CHF_001-1-4.wav — Chante-fable 001 (part 1 of 4)
EMAC_GA_CHF_001-2-4.wav — Chante-fable 001 (part 2 of 4)
EMAC_GA_CHF_001-3-4.wav — Chante-fable 001 (part 3 of 4)
EMAC_GA_CHF_001-4-4.wav — Chante-fable 001 (part 4 of 4)
EMAC_GA_PEP_001-1-1.wav — Poème épique pastoral 001 (1 part of 1)
File naming convention: EMAC_{CC}{GENRE}{NNN}-{part}-{total}.wav
CC = ISO country code (GA = Gabon)
GENRE = genre code (CHF, PEP)
NNN = zero-padded session number
part / total = part index and total number of parts for multi-file sessions
IMDI metadata files (IMDI/ subfolder):
EMAC_Gabon.imdi — Corpus-level (Ethnomusicologie du Gabon)
| Audio file | Genre | Session | Parts |
|---|---|---|---|
| EMAC_GA_CHF_001-1-4.wav | Chante-fable | 001 | 1/4 |
| EMAC_GA_CHF_001-2-4.wav | Chante-fable | 001 | 2/4 |
| EMAC_GA_CHF_001-3-4.wav | Chante-fable | 001 | 3/4 |
| EMAC_GA_CHF_001-4-4.wav | Chante-fable | 001 | 4/4 |
| EMAC_GA_PEP_001-1-1.wav | Poème épique pastoral | 001 | 1/1 |