Babara Bangoura - Keikei

[bubudi]

babara teaching a rhythm of mamady's. from memory i think this rhythm is traditional from the forest region of guinea. maybe the long time students of mamady can fill us in a bit more. some wicked solo phrases!

[Waraba]

Where can I get a recording or transcription of this rhythm, esp. the dundun parts?

--Matt

[bubudi]

by attending some workshops of mamady keita or one of his long time students.

[neuroanimal]

I can give you some context information.

Traditional instruments of the region:

• slit drum called kolokolo or kelen (like krin),
• set of 5-7 small hand drums called planibala,
• musical mouth bow (I forgot the name).

And now some details about keikei and owners of this dance & rhythm.

1A) MANON (MANO) FROM KELEMA VILLAGE (GUINÉE FORESTIÈRE)

Sacred woods, initiation and the knife dance

In the Kelema region 12 kilometers/7 miles from Nzerekore towards Yomou, Manon girls between the ages of seven and thirteen are still trained with iron-fisted discipline to perform the kei-kei, or knife dance, after the harvest. Definitely not for the squeamish. Kelema' s inhabitants make offerings to a specific spirit to find out whether a wish will be granted. If the gourd containing the sacrifice comes back empty, the answer is yes.

The villagers of Weya, which is also near Nzerekore, are known for their healing skills. They treat sterile women, the insane, drug addicts and people with many diseases who come from distant places and even neighboring countries. For example, they break a red rooster's legs to heal fractures without touching them. Weya forest is a sacred place that visitors are not allowed to enter alone. They must ask for permission from the district chief, who also procures a guide. A foot-path winding through tall grasses leads to a strange, three-crested palm tree that indicates a supernatural place.

Source:
Electronic edition of the special country report on Guinea published in Far Eastern Economic Review (Dow Jones Group), September 28th 2000 Issue.
Link: http://www.winne.com/guinea2/bf04.html

1B) MANON (MANO) FROM KARANA VILLAGE (GUINÉE FORESTIÈRE)

Karana village. Traditional healers of the Mano people, the Koloko (3 mothers) demonstrate the "Mene Doueomia".

Video Attachement: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGPMps4QRFU

The Zere. Mano dance of the chimpanzees. Combining multiple techniques of the forest. The embodiment of strength.

Video Attachement: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YXub0T3-Qs

Source:
YouTube user lanfia80, Videos titled: "3 Mothers & The Mene Society", "The Zere".
For more: http://www.africawrites.com/

Citing comments from there (written 3 years ago) :
by me:

Mano people, called also Manon people, living in Guinea in village Karana (12 kilometers to the east from Nzerekore), have had in past Kei-Kei dance with snake-girls and man with mechette, which dance is photographed in book "New adventure: Guinea" by Arkady Fiedler, and may exist also in book "Les hommes de la danse" by Michel Huet. Also We/Wee/Wè people, speaking Wester Kru languages, especially Guerre (Ngere, Guere, Gwere, Gere) tribe of Ivory Coast have similar dances (is on YouTube).

I've read one time a book "New adventure: Guinea", where Arkady Fiedler described Mano (Manon) tribe, Nzérékoré village (Guinea near Liberia), their secret forest rites and Kei-Kei dance with machettes, which resembles me Guere dance from Ivory Coast. Have you recorded something similar? Look on YouTube clip from 01:07 to 01:20: /watch?v=eO7vxfTO-wk

Move from 0:07 to 0:14 was called in Capoeira "Corta Capim". When João Oliveira dos Santos (born in Itagi village, south of Bahia state) observed that move on the street, he was told that it is "the Dance of the Nagôs" (Dayomeyan "efé anagó" - various tribes from southwestern Nigeria, which understands Yorùbá language). But after years of searching the art, he found it in Salvador, met Mestre Pastinha and became his student. On the clip are also Macaco, Au-Role, Negativa moves.

by lanfia80:

We will be doing a second 2nd Mene story later this year that is very different and unlike anything seen so far. Stay tuned.

The Zere has been practiced by the Mano of West Africa since ancient times. Check out our current update for more on the Mano and the Zere. We will have more on the Zere in future updates of AfricaWrites.

2) WEE/GUERE/DAN/YACOUBA (FROM CÔTE D'IVOIRE) & KPELLE (FROM GUINÉE FORESTIÈRE)

Snake Girls. Guere Dance (Ivory Coast).

Video Attachement: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eO7vxfTO-wk

Source:
YouTube user Bidybi, Video titled: "Guere Dance (Ivory Coast)".

Citing comments from there (written 1 year ago) :
by Urroyalditziness:

I love the temate (that's what they are called)!!! How can someone call this abusive. This a dance that has existed in the Dan culture for centuries. None of the performance I have seen have ever gotten hurt and if you seen the temate you know at one point one of the girls land on the knife no injuries. The adults even stab themselves with no injuries. I question If the protesters here are truly ivorian or even from the 18 mountain region. This use to fascinated me as child and still does.

[Paul]

Good job! Check out the 'Guinea: Unmasking the state' book by Mike McGovern. I posted it in Media. His research is based in Forestiere and will have loads of info on the attempted destruction of Forest mask culture and tradition.

Just got mine in the post, but am up to my eyes right now.