Maître du Djembe - Master of the Djembe
Famoudou Konaté is a world-renowned virtuoso of the djembe drum and its orchestra. One of only a handful of initiated Masters of the Malinké drumming tradition, Famoudou is universally respected as one of the world’s premiere djembe Drum Masters. He has dedicated his life to performing and preserving the music of his people, helping to elevate the djembe orchestra from its traditional roots to worldwide popularity.
Famoudou was born in 1940 near Sangbaralla, a village in the Hamana region of Upper Guinea, the Malinké heartland and the birthplace of the Dunun family of rhythms. A percussive prodigy, he was drumming in community festivals at the age of eight and was soon in demand as a djembefola across the region. From 1959 to 1985, Famoudou was the Lead Djembe Soloist for Les Ballets Africains de la République de Guinée, touring the world and performing with astounding virtuosity. During this time, Famoudou himself created many of the musical arrangements now common in West African performance groups worldwide.
Since 1986, he has taught and performed annually throughout Europe, Japan, Israel, North America and West Africa, instilling a generation of non-African drummers with an extraordinary level of training. In 1996 he received an honorary professorship in Didactics of African Musical Practice from University of the Arts Berlin. He has produced 7 CDs, including his latest Hamana Namun.
Workshop info
BAMBERG (Bavaria/Germany) – percussion workshop
| Date 1: | August 4-10, 2012 |
| Date 2: | August 11-17, 2012 |
Playing level:
Both dates are meant for students with long lasting experience in Malinke rhythms, good playing technique
and the ability to play off-beat
Itinerary:
Drum tuition from 10.00 - 13.00 h und 16.00 - 18.00 h.
Tuesday afternoon
you will have a guided tour through the old city center
of Bamberg which is cultural heritage of he world.
Costs: Tuition including food and lodging: 490,-- euros
| Arrival: | Saturdays 16h |
| End: | Fridays 15h |
Location:
Body & Soul, Schule für Tanz und Percussion,
Kronacher Straße 61, 96952 Bamberg
You can register online by clicking here.
Republic of Guinea, West Afrika - percussion workshop
Date: February 1 until March 1, 2013
CONAKRY (Capitale) and trip tp the village of SANGBARALA in Upper Guinea (Préfecture Kouroussa)
Playing level:
When playing levels differ widely, the group might be split into two seperate groups.
Itinerary:
Drum tuition in the mornings
and afternoons. Inbetween, there are free day for excursions
e.g. to the markets or beaches on one of the palm covered islands. Concerts with traditional rhythms and masks of different ethnic origin.
Trip to Sangbarala including two travel days (Conakry-Sangbarala 600 km). I am planning to have classes in Sangbarala, if the circumstances allow. The duration of our stay in Sangbarala is dependent on the current situation.
Accommodation:
Rooms with simple furniture. Mosquito net. Sanitary facilities outside the house.
In CONAKRY/Quartier Simbaya: two-storey guesthouse with double bed rooms, and floor level guesthouses (newly renovated) each with two interconnected double bed rooms.
In SANGABARALA/Préfecture Kouroussa: plain and simple (see photo below). Mosquito protection available.
Costs:
Included are food and lodging in Conakry, and Sangbarala, drum tuition, transfer to/from airport Conakry, trip to Sangbarala including one overnight stay (double bed rooms) at a hotel on the trip there.
While travelling to and from Sangabarala, food is not included.
Participation fee: 1,200 euros
Trip preparation:
Your passport must be at least valid for six months from the date of arrival in Guinea. Apply for the visa well in advance at the Republic of Guinea Embassy. Yellow fever vaccination is obligatory. Malaria prophylaxes necessary. Further information about immunization should be obtained from your doctor and immunization should be commenced well ahead.
Number of participants is limited.
Two months before the workshop start you will receive extensive information on the trip via e-mail.
AN EXTRAORDINARY TRIP INTO THE MUSICAL TRADITION OF THE MALINKE HAMANA IN GUINEA, WEST AFRICA
It has been a long effort to pass on and secure the rich but endangered music tradition of my people, the Malinke. During my drum workshops I am often asked me to talk about growing up in the Malinke music tradition. This interest moved me to organize trips with the workshops to my village Sangbarala in Upper Guinea - where I was born.
Sangbarala is a village made of round cottages built from clay with dried grass roofs. The village is located in the Kouroussa Preefecture, directly on the Niger River which the locals lovingly call Djoliba. The best part of life happens here. There is no bridge over the river. The children take us with a canoe to the other side. We live together in an extended family with my brothers and sisters from many different generations.
Far away from the big city Conakry situated on the Atlantic Ocean, we experience the savannah landscape of the interior, the customs, the festivities and the dances - the magic charm of the West African way of life.
With no strict timetable we are at liberty and ease for all
(perhaps unexpected) events and adventures which you
can take back with you - a far reaching experience.
Famoudou Konaté
