The Rook Lane Chapel in Frome will host the inaugural event of the 2019 tour by some of Africa’s leading traditional musicians and dancers – the Kakatsitsi Master Drummers from Ghana, on Friday 31st May, who will be performing in fusion with ‘Mbilou’ a Bwiti Nganga (ceremony leader / healer) from Gabon.
Since first touring the UK in 1996, the Kakatsitsi Drummers have emerged as one of Africa’s leading traditional drumming groups, with high profile performances at WOMAD (main stage 2017, BBC stage 2015), Shambala Festival (main stage 2017) and Glastonbury (West Holts Stage 2013). They play a wide variety of drums from the Ga, Ewe and Ashanti tribes in Ghana and are renowned for the funky, accessible vibe of their rhythms and the quality of their singing in 3-5 part harmony.
Mbilou is part of an increasingly endangered and marginalised culture – the Bwiti traditional religion that is found only in the forest regions of equatorial West Africa, particularly Gabon and Cameroon. He plays the Mungongo (the mouth bow with the monostring), the Ngoma-Ngombi (the sacred harp that speaks the voice of the ancestors), the Etsika (the Ciessi horse antelope horn used to call spirits) as well as various drums and shakers / bells.
Kakatsitsi and Mbilou are brought to the UK by Indigenous People, a charity based in Brighton that specialises in organising tours by traditional world music and dance groups from Africa. The charity aims to promote more positive images of African people than those often broadcast by the western media and to raise awareness of the value of indigenous cultures that are a vital part of the earth’s bio-cultural diversity.
The 2019 tour will be the 15th organised by the charity and will take Kakatsitsi & Mbilou across the entire UK, including performances in Penzance in Cornwall and in Kirkwall on the Orkney Islands, as well as performances in Ireland, France and at the Burningman Festival in the USA.
The event is being produced and promoted by Drum It Up Somerset, an organisation run by Frome resident Tanya Sheriff. Drum It Up seeks to promote the many and varied health and well-being benefits for people who participate in community and group drumming. Drumming is a fantastic way to relive stress and anxiety, and boosts immunity. Tanya holds a monthly Frome Community Drum Circle, (12th May is the next one) weekly classes to learn the Djembe, teaches 1:1, and facilitates rhythm-based activities in schools, for businesses, and public and private events.
Steve Peake, director of Indigenous People and artistic director of the coming tour, confirmed he was delighted to be bringing the show to Frome. “I was brought up in Taunton,” he said, “so the opportunity to launch what promises to be our best tours ever is an amazing one.”
Tanya Sheriff, owner of Drum It Up Somerset said, “It’s a real privilege for us to welcome such amazing and accomplished traditional musicians to Frome. I am very excited to see this inspiring fusion project and to see some of Africa’s leading drummers playing in my home town. Frome Town Council have supported this cultural event by a grant of £300 through the Majors Grant, of which we are very grateful for”
Tickets are available at Eventbrite – tinyurl.com/y23pcrzq. More info from Tanya Sherriff on 07941 248621 Info@drumitupsomerset.co.uk Or facebook (Drum It Up Somerset) For more info on the musicians – www. indigenouspeople.org.uk. Doors open 7.00pm, and the show starts 7.30pm. Advance tickets £12 / £7 (concs and kids) on the door £15 / £10.
