The 21-string harp that forms the core of traditional West African music takes center stage for two weeks this spring in the Gambia.
Of all the instruments that have helped define traditional African music, none may be more iconic than the signature musical instrument of West Africa, the kora.
And this year, the Gambia — the nation where the kora was invented — will pay tribute to that fact with the first annual International Kora Festival, April 16-29.
Kora artists from all over the world will converge on Brikama for this two-week musical event. There will be seminars, symposiums, workshops, and an almost steady stream of kora music.
Outside of its West African homeland, the instrument is generically described as a 21-string harp. But like a lot of things that originate on the Mother Continent, the kora defies simple, glib descriptions — and so does its music.
To me, kora music is a spry, agile, feathery thing. The notes almost sound as if they’re dancing across a pool of still water. And yet in the hands of a master, a kora can take you across the full range of human emotion.
You could, with some justification, call kora music the sound of West Africa’s soul.
And that’s important, because the kora was one of the tools of the griot, the traditional West African storyteller whose songs and stories formed the oral histories handed down through the ages.
Long before England had its bards, Africa had its griots.
You can read more about the International Kora Festival in this story from the Gambian newspaper The Daily Observer, courtesy of allAfrica.com.
The festival is being put on by Oko Drammeh.
What the late Bill Graham was to rock music, Drammeh is to African music. He has put on concerts all over the world, starting with the African Music Festival, which has been drawing audiences of 10,000 in Amsterdam annually since the 1980s.
You get the feeling that Brikama was a very deliberate choice for this event. According to Wikipedia, the city is known both for its woodworking and its musicians. Brikama also is close to the Makasuta Culture Forest, a major eco-lodge and retreat in Serekunda.
The goal is for Brikama to become the focal point of kora music, in much the same way as New Orleans is the focal point for jazz and Memphis is the world’s blues mecca.
While in the Gambia last year for the International Roots Festival, I met kora masters trying to salvage an audio record of traditional Gambian kora music. These songs had been broadcast over Gambian radio and recorded on tape but had been warehoused and largely forgotten for years.
They are trying to locate and rescue these tapes before they’re lost forever. Creating a major annual festival dedicated to the kora could give an impetus to that effort. I hope it does.
For Americans especially, traveling to the Gambia may not be as simple and straightforward as going to Cairo or Lagos or Capetown. Then again, how many chances in life do you get to hear great music and become part of a nation’s history at the same time?
Row of kora players, International Roots Festival, Banjul, Gambia | ©Greg Gross
IF YOU GO
In both physical size and population, the Gambia is the smallest country in Africa. Its people are among the warmest and most welcoming anywhere.Getting There:
International flights to the Gambia arrive in the capital city of Banjul.No US-based airline — in fact, no airline, period — flies directly from the United States to the Gambia. This means you’ll have to fly into Europe or North Africa and catch a connecting flight into Banjul.
Your best bets probably would be from Belgium on Brussels Airlines or from Germany via Lufthansa.
You also could fly on Delta out of JFK or from Washington-Dulles via South African Airways into Dakar, the capital of neighboring Senegal, and from there catch a connecting flight on Senegal Airlines, Air Ethiopia or Arik Air to Banjul.
You could drive the roughly 140 miles from Dakar south to Brikama, but only if you’re comfortable dealing with cattle crossing unfenced roads, frequent police checkpoints and miles of potholes that look more like moon craters.
Once in Banjul, you should have little trouble getting one of the many taxis in the capital to Brikama.
Visas:
Unless you’re a citizen of West Africa or a handful of European states, you’ll need a Gambian visa. You can apply to the Gambian Embassy in Washington DC — or you can fly into Senegal, which doesn’t require a tourist visa for Americans staying 90 days or less, or get one from the Gambian High Commissioner’s office in Dakar.Lodging:
Have yet to receive any information on lodging for festival goers. I’ll post more on this as the info becomes available.
ALSO CHECK OUT:
West Africa Journal
Edited by P.A.Rice