Different drummers.Byline: Paul Denison The Register-Guard Mamoudou Conde grew up in the villages of Guinea, but he also spent half his life in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. , where he saw women learning to do something they were not allowed to do in his native country: learn to play the jembe. A wooden drum with a goatskin goat·skin n. 1. The skin of a goat. 2. Leather made from a goatskin. 3. A container, as for wine, made from a goatskin. head and an intricate system of laced cords, the jembe had been popularized outside West Africa West Africa A region of western Africa between the Sahara Desert and the Gulf of Guinea. It was largely controlled by colonial powers until the 20th century. West African adj. & n. in the 1950s through the world tours of Les Ballets Africains, led by Guinean Fodeba Keita. But the jembe was played only by men, and women were not allowed to touch the instrument, originally used only by members of secretive sacred brotherhoods. Not sisterhoods. In 1998, Conde, a sculptor and carver who had become an impresario, decided it was time for a change. After finalizing a management contract for Les Percussions de Guinee Les Percussions de Guinee was founded in 1987 by the Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism of the Republic of Guinea. It is a government sponsored national ballet of the finest percussionists, musicians, and dancers from Guinea, West Africa. , he called the seven master drummers The title of master drummer is given to a drummer who is recognized by other masters for his high degree of skill and knowledge in African drumming. The title itself is very much respected in the culture where it originates. together and suggested a leap to the next level. He wanted to add 15 more members to the group - including 12 women. Not just singers and dancers, but jembe players. The male drummers' reaction was predictable. ``Shocked is the best word I can use,'' Conde later wrote. "I think they thought I was nuts." The men objected to such a radical break with a very old tradition. They also doubted that women would be able to match the skill of men who had been playing the jembe since childhood and now made their living at it. Conde went ahead anyway, and began training female jembe players. He then ran into opposition from government officials, but he overcame that with an end run. Of an ancient bloodline blood·line n. The direct line of descent; a pedigree. himself, he went to highland villages seeking the approval of the elders and the storytellers known as jeli or, in French, griots. "This seemed to make sense since the village is where the secret ceremonies took place that created the traditions," Conde wrote. He was right. After winning support from the villages, he began intensive percussion training for the women. Les Percussions de Guinee took two women on its 2000 North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. tour, but only as backing vocalists A backing vocalist or backing singer (or, especially in the U.S., backup singer or sometimes background singer) is a singer who sings in harmony with the lead vocalist, other backing vocalists, or alone but not singing the lead. and costumed dancers. The success of that tour, including "very vocal and surprisingly supportive" reactions from men in the audience, convinced Conde - and Guinea's director of culture - that it was time for the women to go public. In 2002, the first all-female Guinean percussion group was officially born. Amazones: Women Master Drummers of Guinea, has already toured in Europe. Now on a 23-city tour of North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. , they will make their United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. debut in Eugene on Oct. 6,, when the group will perform in the Hult Center's Silva Concert Hall with Les Percussions de Guinee, an internationally known, government-sponsored group established in 1987. The latter ensemble includes seven male master drummers and an orchestra of flutes, balafons (xylophones) and koras (stringed instruments), plus traditional dancers. Saidou Dioubate, national director of culture for the Republic of Guinea, describes the rhythmic storytelling Storytelling Aesop semi-legendary fabulist of ancient Greece. [Gk. Lit.: Harvey, 10] Münchäusen Baron traveler grossly embellishes his experiences. [Ger. Lit. show as "a powerful, energetic and grandiose spectacle, which sends to the world its message of peace, optimism and serenity." A government Web site characterizes the performances as "inspired by traditional music but resolutely res·o·lute adj. Firm or determined; unwavering. [Middle English, dissolved, dissolute, from Latin resol modern in its scenic presentation." The group is "naturally oriented" to the music of the Guinean highland and coastal region but also draws from the midland and forest regions. The Amazones bear the name of warrior women from the ancient kingdom of Dahomey, now called Benin. Conde calls them "warriors of circumstance," not only because of their courage in breaking from tradition but also because the original recruits included homeless, jobless and illiterate women, often with children to support. The start-up money came from Conde's own pocket. "My goal was to help the people that had nothing, the women who really needed our help," he said. Conde has managed the Republic of Guinea's Les Percussions de Guinee since 1998, the Djoliba National Ballet since 2000 and Les Ballets Africains since 2001. PREVIEW Amazones: The Women Master Drummers of Guinea and Les Percussions de Guinee When: 8 p.m. Oct. 6 Where: Silva Concert Hall, Hult Center, Seventh Avenue and Willamette Street How much: $18-$28 (students $14) CAPTION(S): Promoters describe the percussion show as being "inspired by traditional music but resolutely modern in its scenic presentation." |
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