The Gambian band Deglulen, featuring Solomelo on vocals and guitar, will make a welcome return to the George IV pub on the Chiswick High Road on Sun 7th February. You can email Solomelo at solomelo13@yahoo.com for more information.
A couple of mp3s for you to listen are available from our previous blog click here
We’ve featured Baaba Maal, the Senegalese musical genius, on here before. He is a fairly frequent visitor to the UK and recently pitched up at the South Bank as part of Jon Snow’s ‘Interviews with’ series . After the show he gave this low key performance of ‘Tindo Quando’ (from his new album Television) alongside John Palmer.
Deglulen - live in Chiswick
A quick note to let you know that the excellent Gambian band Deglulen, featuring Solomelo on vocals and guitar, will be playing at the George IV pub on the Chiswick High Road on Sun 27th September. You can email Solomelo at solomelo13@yahoo.com for more information.
We’ve also included a couple of mp3s for you to listen to below. These are taken from Solomelo’s Kess album. Let us know what you think in the comments!
Children dancing to Baraka
Just a quick note to draw your attention to the latest Nyodema fund raising event, taking place in Bognor on the 23rd August.
World Music and Arts Festival
. Sunday 23rd August
. The Regis Centre, Belmont Street, Bognor Regis, West Sussex
. 11am to 8pm
. FREE
In the two years since its formation, Bognor Regis based charity, Nyodema, has brought a variety of outstanding world music to the town and through which raised money to help hundreds of children in The Gambia, West Africa lead a better life. However, Nyodema, which means “Helping Each Other” in Mandinka a West African tribal language, isn’t just about helping people in Africa, it’s about the local community too: giving local people a chance to enjoy (and participate in) music and arts from around the world.
Nyodema’s next event is their annual World Music and Arts Festival on Sunday 23rd August at The Regis Centre in Bognor Regis. The festival opens at 11am with mardi-gras masking making, craft stalls, children’s games, jugglers and African Drumming.
Tuareg jewellery Among the craft stalls, traditional hand-crafted silver Tuareg jewellery will be on sale from Mouhamed Ahnou, a Tuareg artisan from Niger. Sales of Mouhamed’s jewellery will help to fund life-enhancing projects for his village, such as constructing a grain store, establishing a pharmacy, supplying school books and planting fruit trees. The Tuareg rarely visit the UK and this is a rare opportunity to buy direct from the artisan.
Highlights of the day include:
11.30am West Sussex Guitar Club
The outstanding guitarists from the West Sussex Guitar Club will perform a variety of pieces from around the world.
1.00pm Six-Fifteen
Popular local trio, Six-Fifteen, will start the line-up in the main hall with a lively mix of bluegrass and jazz.
1.00pm, 2.00pm and 4.00pm African Drumming workshops
2.00pm Dub Side of The Boulder
A talented group of local 14 – 16 year olds playing a short set of reggae numbers.
2.30pm Beeja Indian Dancers (performance and workshop)
Beeja, a London based dance theatre company, will present an exciting insight into the Indian classical dance form ‘bharatanatyam’. A spectacular, colourful and vibrant celebration of dance and rhythm, this performance and workshop will introduce you to this sophisticated dance form in a way that is enjoyable and fun.
3.00pm Sam Brown
16 year old Sam, from Elmer, is an outstanding solo guitarist and recently won a Scholarship to the West Dean International Guitar Festival.
3.30pm Beeja Indian Dancers return to entertain you
4.00pm Children’s Mardi-gras parade
4.20pm Mundo Pequeno
Meaning “Small World” in Portuguese the bands name reflects their mutual love of different music from around the world. With a heady mix of Latin grooves, African rhythms and jazz harmonies, Mundo Pequeno’s music has the power to move both your heart and your feet.
6.00pm Baraka
Following their popularity at last year’s festival, headliners Baraka, will make a welcome return to this year’s event. Global beats, intricate rhythms and soaring melodies produce a unique sound guaranteed to get you dancing. Featuring musicians from Ghana, The Congo, Dominica, Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland, Baraka represents world music at its best.
Entrance to the festival is FREE, however, donations will be very welcome with all money raised going towards Nyodema’s health and education projects in The Gambia, West Africa.
Nyodema would like to thank its sponsors including Grassroots Grants, Telephony Business Solutions Ltd, Careline Services Ltd and The Gambia Experience
For More Information
Telephone: 07974 472137 (Kathryn)
Email: nyodema07@yahoo.co.uk
Web: www.myspace.com/nyodema
I have recently returned from another wonderful week in The Gambia with my fellow Nyodema trustee, Shelagh Hamilton. This time our friend, Andrea Encinas, an experienced vocal coach, joined us. Andrea, originally from Trinidad, came to England as a nurse. She is now the director of British Gospel Arts, books choirs for The South Bank Centre, sings with the London Community Gospel Choir (you may have seen her singing at the FA Cup Final at Wembley in May!) and is studying for an MBA in Arts Management.
Well I’m pleased to say Andrea has fallen in love with The Gambia and I’m sure this will be the first of many visits.
Singing Lessons at Jeddah School
We had a very hectic week. Singing (and dancing) at Jeddah Progress Nursery School, Brikama was definitely one of the highlights. Andrea taught everyone some traditional Afro-Caribbean songs and the school choir from Farrato sang a mixture of English and African songs for us. Andrea’s enthusiastic approach was contagious as children, teachers and parents joined in this cultural exchange.
The recently formed drama group performed a couple of delightful short plays including one about learning English the ‘Jolly Phonics’ way and another about malaria prevention. I can’t explain how it felt to see two little girls playing, Kathryn and Shelagh, handing out mosquito nets. These two days were an excellent way to strengthen the bond between Nyodema and the local community.
Another Nyodema sponsored, teacher training course in ‘phonics’, took place over the next two days. This is a method of teaching English widely used throughout the UK and is proving to be a great success in The Gambia.
During the week we also managed to fit in a radio interview on Unique FM, a singing workshop at a Gospel church in Bakau and a visit to Serrakunda market. Andrea also took part in a couple of informal yet inspirational performances with local musicians.
The Malaria Play
As Andrea had never been to the Gambia before we took a day out to explore the area, looking at different housing conditions etc. Andrea was shocked at the extent of the poverty in The Gambia (and since being back has already started raising money for Nyodema).
I mustn’t forget to mention the children’s clothes and toys that we distributed throughout the week, in particular, 14 cuddly toys donated by Elsie, the three year old daughter of another Gambia Experience staff member. After looking at some photographs of Gambian children, Elsie decided that she did not need all her toys. On Boxing Day last year she sorted out all the ones she didn’t play with anymore and asked her Mum to give them to children in Africa. This was entirely her idea. Well done, Elsie!
Elsie was delighted to see the photos of her toys in Africa.
Our last night was spent dancing until the early hours to an excellent reggae/salsa band in a bar on the Senegambia strip. The following day Andrea and I said our goodbyes to the wonderful staff at our hotel (Sunset Beach in Kotu) who had made us feel so welcome and headed off to the airport.
Shelagh stayed on to organise the distribution of more mosquito nets and to meet the medical students from Florida who ran the first-aid teacher training course for us at Jeddah Progress Nursery School last year. This visit they ran a dental hygiene course for the teachers and supplied toothbrushes etc for the children.
Elsie's Teddy
Each time I visit The Gambia I learn so much, make numerous new friends and return home with many happy memories. A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to this wonderful week. I’m very lucky to be part of ‘Nyodema’.
Matt
Smith
Kathy Burrington
Joyce Stavroulakis
Gill
Sealey
Katie Bushnell
