Baarakan founder and director Luke Konden participated as a jury member for percussion and lecturer for West African percussion instruments at the 10th edition of the international DRUM WAVE forum in St Petersburg, Russia These are the official videos for Mamady Lee, the event we organized on September 4th, 2021 in Russia to honor the memory and legacy of Mamady Keita djembefola, and which included all the historical groups practicing African music in Russia. Baarakan opened the show for this important, yearly event, together with other African groups in Russia.
Our festival has been postponed due to covid 19 travel restrictions. We are planning an even bigger edition; STAY TUNED for updates or register at the link on our festival page baarakan-african-drumming.timepad.ru/event/1244173/#register
Baarakan participated as a guest lecturer at the 1st Mama Africa Festival in Russia, where we presented about West African instruments and music from Guinea and Mali. The presentation was interactive, and saw the guests learning about the main tools of djeli culture, and how the tradition is preserved in this culture. Here you can find photos and a short video on the mask and rhythm "Konden"!
This article will describe a topic which is still controversial and which generates discussion all the time; teachers. Generally speaking, there is a lot of confusion around what surrounds African music. Wherever I go I see some of the same issues; people who are not really qualified to teach but who, however, do so. As said before, this tradition is an ORAL one, which means that is passed from generation to generation. Of course, while some people did not have teachers, they however were able to assimilate this music by growing up in an environment that was steeped in it. That is the case if you grow up in Africa, surrounded by musicians, and, are, at the same time, a talented person whois able to work hard. Yet, I have met many people who, just because they were African, were thought to be 'teachers', yet they were not. Well, then, how can we distinguish a genuine teacher from a non genuine one? The first thing is, one needs to study and observe,to try to understand the difference between good playing and not; African music is often snubbed or looked down by Westerners, who ARE OFTEN NOT ABLE TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN PROPER PLAYING AND NOT, or do not care to do so; to many people, African music is just one big, funny thing! Secondly, a good teacher is someone who has learned FROM other people or WITH other people, themselves accomplished musicians; this often takes many years and is a multi-step process, which everybody genuine goes through. Learning from CD's or, even worse, books, will never really get you anywhere, though you might think so. I have said this before, but it is oh so important. I have seen many people being stuck in one level and never progress, no matter how hard they try, for years and years, because they fail to understand that there are levels that can only be accessed through other people. This is like true spiritual paths, who all lead to the same truth but in different ways, yet the steps are similar. So, only a genuine teacher can show you your mistakes, which, by oneself, one cannot see, and often this process is PAINFUL, because it hurts the ego, but it is necessary. Many people are deep down scared of this, or reject it, and think it is the teacher who has a big ego, forgetting that the issue is about them having to learn, and not about the teacher having to 'just let them play.' A genuine teacher has learned within the tradition and knows it deeply: whether it's the cultural context of the rhythms, or their functions, or their songs, or THEIR EVERY PART, ARRANGEMENT, etc. a true teacher is able to play it, teach, improvise on it, Almost always, if these 'teachers' have not been and played repeatedly in Africa, and are respected there, then it might not be the true thing. That doesn't mean, again, that one has to be African, or that once you go to Africa you become a teacher, because, it still takes many years of practice to be one. So, you should be wary of those who do just that. There is also a lot of misunderstanding, as many people just INVENT from scratch musical accompaniments, information, etc. Of course, accomplished masters create new arrangements, yet they can do that because they start from a solid foundation IN THE TRADITION, not because they wake up one morning and begin to play. Unfortunately, there is still a lot of ignorance in the West and even in AFRICA, about the music, not to speak of those who just see it as an opportunity to make money based on Westerners' gullibility and naivete. 'Ignorance' here means from the verb 'to ignore' = to not pay attention, refuse or be unable to acknowledge, to disregard intentionally. Also, ignorance is the root cause of racism, which is the fear of something we don't know, and which I see a lot around me. So, finally, a true teacher should be able to tell you where they are from, who they studied with, who they learned from or how they learned. Below, are some pictures of people I — and many others — consider genuine teachers, like Fadouba Oulare', Famodou Konate, Laurent Camara, M'Bemba Bangoura, Bolokada Conde', Bayo Kankan, whom i had the pleasure to learn from:
Classes will be held at MOTIV SCHOOL, Ulitsa Letnikovskaya, 11/10 c19, M. PAVELETSKAYA, on Sundays, from 5 to 7PM. All levels above complete beginner are welcome, as they will be integrated in the group. Just bring your drum and no ego!!! :-) Drums are also available for rent. Classes will start again in August. If you plan to come to class, you need to confirm your presence at least 24 hours before via message.
Here is the link to our master class in Moscow on October 14th!!
vk.com/mk_luke_konden_moscow |