The Drummers and Their Drumbeats: Jah Baba скачать в хорошем качестве

The Drummers and Their Drumbeats: Jah Baba

Beninese singer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer, and bandleader Jah Baba (Oladipo Abiala) is best known for his blend of traditional West African drumming with jazz, juju, afrobeat, reggae, and gospel music. Born to Yoruba parents in Benin, Jah became a master of the bata and gangan (dundun) drums as well as the Oro and Gèlèdè masquerade traditions of his native region. His original compositions and dynamic live performances are deeply rooted in this rich cultural heritage and convey pride in the inherent beauty of African culture. Inspired by greats such as Fela Kuti, Bob Marley, and Miles Davis, his music carries the spirit of Africa to the world. Jah is also an audio engineer, cultural promoter, and arts educator who owns and operates Africa Sound City, a performance venue and recording studio in Cotonou, Benin. From this home base, he dedicates his spare time to training youth and cultivating the next generation of Beninise artists. __ Culturescapes 2023 Sahara picks up from the Amazonian edition of the festival and introduces some of participating artists with their video portraits done by Anita Afonu, an award-winning Ghanaian documentary film director. In 2023, the three themes—borders, resilience, and futures—that structure the narrative of the festival program can be experienced through the stories of the invited artists. This series of video portraits, The Drummers and Their Drumbeats, enable a broader understanding of the socio-political and cultural context of the Saharan region. Each portrait allows a look behind the scenes into the artists' real life beyond the black box, the white cube, or the concert venue. Artists reveal essential inspirations for their practices and discuss critical questions of our time that influx their work. Anita Afonu has over a decade of experience directing and producing films exploring the hidden histories and everyday lives of people in West Africa. She belongs to a new generation of African artists who are creatively reckoning with their nations’ pasts to understand the present political and social realities. __ For more information on Culturescapes, visit www.culturescapes.ch.