Bridging Western Music Therapy and the Ndëpp Ritual from Senegal: Opportunities and Challenges

Cathy Schmartz

doi:10.15845/voices.v26i1.4425

Authors

Cathy Schmartz Private practice, Rollingen, Luxembourg

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15845/voices.v26i1.4425

Keywords:

music therapy, Ndëpp ritual;, cross-cultural healing;, cultural sensitivity;, Senegal

Abstract

This essay explores links and tensions between Western music therapy and the Senegalese Ndëpp healing ritual, asking how bridges can be built across cultural frameworks. Reflections draw on the author’s fieldwork in Senegal and Europe, supported by an interdisciplinary review of music therapy, psychiatry, sociology, and ethnology literature. Parallels emerge in the use of rhythm, song, and ritual, yet fundamental differences remain: Western music therapy predominantly focuses on the individual, while Ndëpp is rooted in community and spirituality. These contrasts expose the limits of Western categories when applied cross-culturally. The author recommends music therapists to adopt culturally sensitive approaches, engage with local traditions, and critically reflect on their own positionality. Interdisciplinary dialogue can foster more authentic, equitable, and inclusive therapeutic practices.

Author Biography

Cathy Schmartz, Private practice, Rollingen, Luxembourg

Cathy Schmartz is a psychologist and music therapist based in Luxembourg, Europe. She currently works in a care home facility as well as in private practice. Her work focuses on psychotrauma in children, adolescents, and adults. Her professional interests also include intercultural dynamics in therapeutic contexts, as well as questions of privilege and positionality—particularly in her role as a white, European, university-educated woman—and the ethical implications that arise from these. She is actively engaged in ongoing reflection on accessibility and equity in the field of music therapy and regularly gives workshops and lectures on the conscious use of music in institutional settings such as schools and care facilities.

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