In Their Own Voices - Transcript

Mamady: I don't think that a day has passed that I haven't been thinking about Africa since I left Guinea to come to the United States in 1964. When I think about it, that's a lot of days and nights. I have made my life here in Philadelphia, I've gotten married and have three grown kids but no matter where I am Africa is always with me. It's within me.

Olukayode: My studio keeps that sense of belonging, sense of tradition alive. When I enter this place, I see so many themes that remind me of my work at home, of the things I used to do and it is realy fascinating. It brings everything back to life. This is what part of what I used to see growing up because because going to school everyday we used to pass by market and I would really be captivated by the women carrying pots on their heads, carrying calabshes, oranges, fruits on their to heads to go and sell. it's really fascinating. A lot of people walk past them and they don't notice all this. But as an artist I have a responsibility to constantly express myself on paper and capture these very beautiful scenes. I started understanding this particular part of things when I was about ten years old and it stayed with me since then. But as I grow older, I took art more seriously not just to scribble on paper but I wanted to express what was happening around me especially my immediate environment.

Blamoh: I was 14 years old when I first made my own drum in Liberia. In the village, they have travel groups, and among the travel groups they have plays people come and they have festivals and my mother was a very good dancer. So all the drummers that used to play for her used to be very careful. Because there are so many steps tehy have to do and it's a call and response pattern - the drummer and the dancer, they go together. So as a little boy, my mother used to take me and say to me 'Sit by the drummer and listen to what he plays'. I was dancing by the side of the drums. And I said 'One day I'd like to play drums'. I was between 5 and 6. On day, drummers come from different parts of teh village. Drummers would come around and I was the only little drummer and people enjoy me playing so I said 'OK'. I love to play drums. The communication between the drummer adn dancer is verygood, very nice, you feel it. So when I'm playing the drums, I'm in a different world, believe me.

Mamady: This is my least favorite part now. Drawing the borders. To me, there is nothing about them that is natural. There are usually the same people living on both sides of the border and in almost every case, these borders have separated nations that existed before the European carved these borders to suit their needs. My people are the Mandinka. But now, we are spread apart in about 11 countries: Gambia, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cote D'Ivoire, Mali, Guinea, and Niger. Some now speak English, some speak French and some speak Portugese. But we are still Mandinkas. These boundaries have caused so much problems in Africa. The pain these boundaries have caused and are still causing in Africa, my heart bleeds every time I etch these borders.

Mustapha: At the very first time I heard Alpha Blondy, I was in Sierra Leone. I had just finished dinner and I listened to Bintou Were Were on the radio and I was amazed. I was like 'Man, this guy is singing in my language and the music is cool'. And he was backed up in a reggae beat and it was so interesting. And so since then I wanted to sing reggae by all means. He really inspired me - I'm talking of Alpha Blondy. Franz, Cut.

Franz: It is higher than your normal songs but it might be a first thing for you. It sounds different, it sounds bright. Let's do it one more time, we'll record you, you listen to it and you make a judgement.

Mustapha: My first album I did is called 'Cry Sierra Leone' . That's when the war was very intense in Sierra Leone. So, I needed to do that particular song telling people to stop killing each other. By the time the song was in Sierra Leone, the war was over and people used it to celebrate. It was a good thing, it made me feel very very good.

Olukayode: Now what these ladies are wearing is called the Iro Ambuba. The Iro Ambuba is the traditional wear for women from the western part of Nigeria - The Yorubas. The Iro Ambuba a lot of times matches but some women are really radical and they want to wear a different combination. So, when I incorporate those women who do not want to wear the same material, it also brings to light what's going on in the present generation of women. Now in Yoruba land, baskets are called Akwere and they are balanced on the heads of women and they can carry up to 100 pounds on their heads without support from anybody. Really, really strong women. The back looks like a major accident! Just a little operation with pieces of cloth but it's totally different from what you have right there. This is the finished work and this piece actually shows 5 women hawking oranges in Ibadan, West Africa, Nigeria.

Blamoh: The best way to go through is to go 'Oh, this is my drum - when I play the drum, I want people to dance and I want to give good voice to the drum'. We say sound but we don't say sound in Africa, we say voice. It can call your name, it can communicate with you. But there are different ways to strike the drum for people to understand what you're saying. Anyone can pick up a drum, put it between their legs and play, but what are you saying? That's the most important thing. It's a lot of work. A lot of work. But if you don't do it - you won't have a good sound. It's like a competition. When drummer sit and you're drum's not sounding good, forget it. Even your dancers, they'll be 'What's going on?'. Because, they are prepared to dance but your drum's not sounding good. Anything you do is power, energy. People from Ivory Coast I will know, their hand position, how many drums they use. The Guinean use more than 10 drums on stage but people from Ivory Coast and Liberia, we can use 3 but the 3 sound like more than 25 people playing. It's because of the correct notation. What to strike. The hand position. That's what you've got to learn. If you don't know your hand position, you don't know nothing. After I'm done with this drum, I'll go and talk to the drum. Tell the drum 'Congratulation'. By doing what? By buying a gin, or red palm oil, rubbing the red palm oil on the surface of the drum, busting an egg on the headof the drum. These are things you say to the drum to say 'Thank you', It is is a character. You see, the change.

Ishmael: Mandingo is our tribe. We are Mandingos. So if we make music without singing in Mandingo, to me I don't think that's fair. So, I would recommend him to sing in Mandingo. Some of them, maybe not all of them have to be in Mandingo so our people can hear we.

Franz: What do you think is missing from this record? If you listen to this record in a record store, what do you think is missing from it? If someone put this record and try to get you to spend five bucks.

Mustapha: The only thing that can be missing probably is the chorus. What this song needs is a fast chorus. Continuous stuff, cuz it's a little laid back. A fast chorus.

Franz: Some people would say, like Pablo all it needs is a live guitar some good tight backgrounds..

Mustapha: I just feel happy when I'm around music. Especially when I'm recording, I have to push myself to eat because music is I think it's the food for me when I'm around it. Playing music for me makes me really really happy. I can do this forever.

Mamady: To do one of these clocks can take up to a week. Usually, friends ask me to make the clocks for them. I don't make these clocks to sell them. I enjoy making them because by creating these clocks, I remain close to Africa.