Antandroy

The Antandroy (or Tandroy) are a traditionally nomadic ethnic group of Madagascar inhabiting the arid southern part of the island around Ambovombe. Their name means "people of the thorns" in reference to the spiny thickets of endemic plants that characterize the southwestern region of Madagascar.

The origin of the Antandroy , as for most of the peoples of Madagascar, is unclear. 

Legend would have it that their great ancestor, Raminia, came from Arabia between the 5th and the 7th century, and indeed traits inherited from the Arabs can be found in Antandroy culture, such as astrological knowledge and techniques of prediction. However the region inhabited by the Antandroy  has, over the centuries, served as a shelter for other populations fleeing the innumerable migrations and invasions, and it is impossible to define an Antandroy ethnic “type”. Their culture, however, is very different to the others, because of their isolation. Hunters and breeders, the Antandroy  still  have a very simple lifestyle, never leaving their assagai or stick, which is the warrior’s emblem, and respecting the codes of a very strict society. Their celebrations in particular, with  music, dances and wrestling, are sacred and are guided by an original conception of the world: a whole universe still living and perfectly functional.

it is in this arid and thorny land  that  some of the most amazing musics on the planet are born!

trax
Gorodo (the accordion) Ivoseha Bernadette, Rasoanome Blandine, Zanamasinae Claudine, Mahasoa, Remanindry
Vontsarotse (a man's name) Ivoseha Bernadette, Soveninany, Rasoanome Blandine, Zanamasinae Claudine, Remanindry
Revoro (mister bird)Ivoseha Bernadette, Rasoanome Blandine, Zanamasinae Claudine, Mahasoa
Lomalilaly (how to coax back one's wife)Ivoseha Bernadette, Soveninany, Rasoanome Blandine, Zanamasinae Claudine, Remanindry
Retsivery (name of a famous man) Vorivoatsy, Mazoto, Sambiasy
Zahay Mangala-Bohinko Azy E Ia (we have rid him of his guilt) Ivoseha Bernadette, Soveninany, Rasoanome Blandine, Zanamasinae Claudine, Remanindry
Kidiboky Am-BavaVorivoatsy, Mazoto, Sambiasy
Andriamisara (name of a king) Marovany Box Zither, Mahasoa, Tindrianto
Kidiboky Vorisoatsy- Mazoto, Rimotsy, Sambiasy
Doany-Mahasoa, Sambiasy

Antandroy

Tinariwen-World on 3 session

fantastic mini session from Tinariwen
let's see if  this time will reach  more ears

just the tracks

Kanté Manfila-Tradition

Kanté Manfila was born in 1946 in Farabanah,his family moved to Kankan 80 km to the north where Kanté went to school up to the age of 14.
He then moved to Abijdan to live with an uncle since he could play already titles like tourbaka,kaira and kensa on balaphon and guitar,
he was able to earn some money by playing at marriages and other festivities of Guineans living in the capital of Ivory Coast.
He soon found a sponsor who liked the boy's playing so much that he payed him some studies at Abidjan's school of music.
the first band that featured Kante's guitar was "Independence jazz" ,then he joined "rhythm de I'bia".Soon he had his first single out"horoya" freedom
which was quite successful in Abidjan,so more singles followed.Kante's band in Abidjan "African style" didn't live long,because their ancient amplifiers broke down
so when his best friend had to return to Mopti for a family affair he joined him.In April 1970 Kante learned about the death of his father

and decided to return to Kankan.When he got to Bamako,friends warned him that he might be arrested if he crossed the Guinean border.
He decided to delay his return for three months and looked for a job.By chance the Ambassadeurs du Motel
had a vacancy-three months turned into nine years and Kanté Manfila became "chef d'orchestre".It was Kanté who introduced new compositions based on traditional tunes
before his arrival les Ambassadeurs interpreted Latin American tunes,valses mussettes,Nana Mouskouri and songs like "strangers in the night"........
things didn't turned out smoothly in Bamako so the Ambassadeurs tried their luck in Abidjan,where their arrived in August 1978.After one year of suffering they made it to the top ,they sold
more records than any other artist there.But with the fame came the relatives,who filled up their house in Abidjan,staying there for months.And when some of the glamour around the band faded away
when the economic situation in Abidjan became harder,in 1985 they decided to move to Paris;
first Salif Keita on his own ,then Kanté Manfila and the rest of"les Ambassadeurs".



Kanté Manfila left this world on 20 July 2011
I will always remember and thank him dearly



Tradition


Kanté Manfila-guitar,vocals
Mory Kanté-kora
Djanka Diabaté & Oumou Diabaté-vocals
Ibrahima Diawara-bala
Kaba Kanté-guitar

Tsikaya - Ritmos da nova Angola

The function of music as a message vehicle is ancient in Africa. Tsikaya, a cultural project taking place in Angola, draws on this notion by recording the musical works of composers living in rural areas. It aims to preserve and strengthen traditional music by creating a digital archive with music, images and data about the composers, and to stimulate local music production as a sustainable livelihood.

Angolan composer Victor Gama initiated the Tsikaya project in 1997 while on a field trip to the southeastern province of Cuando-Cubango in Angola. 'I wanted to have an idea of what was being produced musically in that remote part of the country under the armed conflict', he explains. 'The musicians who participated then, took the opportunity of an open microphone and a tape recorder to send out messages to other parts of Angola, as this was the only means at that moment to do so.' One of the songs recorded, for instance, is called Mensagem a Luanda, (Message to Luanda). The singer expresses his worries about the situation and problems afflicting his village, and asks for assistance from the capital.
In the following year, Victor Gama criss-crossed northern Namibia, from Rundu to Rwakana, and recorded many Angolan refugee artists, choir groups, children songs and the sound of open air markets. In 2003, Tsikaya, which is named after a traditional instrument from Cuando-Cubango, gained a more structured base with financial support from the Netherlands Institute for Southern Africa (NiZA) and a partnership between Gama's own cultural association PangeiArt and the Angolan NGO's Bismas and ADRA.

A production team was set up, and working groups in four remote villages in the coastal province of Benguela were created, consisting of local community co-ordinators, musicians, and traditional authorities. 'We worked for one month with the working groups in the communities of Luongo, Hanha do Norte, Cubal and Dombe Grande'. 'We recorded, interviewed and photographed the composers with a laptop running ProTools, a music production software that allowed us to master the music on the spot.'

The production team created a digital archive that has its home at Bismas' office in Benguela. A first sample CD with a compilation of songs was edited and the team plans to produce a new edition that can be sold and generate an income for the composers. 'The cultural heritage of communities and their creative potential are the immediate capital that can be converted into assets to improve living standards and cultural enrichment', Victor Gama says. Other intended sources of income for the communities are instruments and handcrafts building and sales, workshops, exchanges and performances by master musicians.

Inge Ruigrok/Feb. 2004/Tapping into musical heritage to create a livelihood for rural Angola

visit www.tsikaya.org for more

a sample cd of just 19 min, the first in  the series was released  in 2004

enough to give us an idea  about the first fruits of  this renaissance project
needless to say how valuable can be even the slightest support  in such  efforts 

and  far better,let's go ahead and  create our cultural  projects- everywhere!

Ritmos da nova Angola

Gerewol

Guérewol

gerewol photos 
by Ronald Vriesema 

les Peulhs du Niger

Inna baba Coulibaly-Lobo

words  fail to express (such a ) beauty
that we have to approach with respect and feel it wholeheartedly
and  be ready to  recognize it  when it appears
one of this year's revelations
and another precious gift from ngoni


Lobo


for the record & pasted from Natari :

Sekou Kouyate  guitar
Abdoulaye Sackone   n'goni
Djoke Sissoko   traditional flute
Bako Keita bass and percussion
Moriba Koita   n'goni and doundoumba
Mama Assitan Keita & Niama Tounkara backing vocals

Coumbane mint Ely Warakane

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