[tauber]

Famoudou Konate Workshops in The Gambia!
1-18-2015

We are announcing to some of the public now the Famoudou Konaté Workshops series on our Trip To Africa in The Gambia 2015 —— January 18, 2015 to February 4, 2015. This is exciting! Your chance to study with the Grandmaster and his crew in an intimate setting near the ocean in the beautiful, safe Gambia. We need 10 - 20 students to make this happen. Famoudou is very excited about the possibilities and he sounds strong like always. He says he will make it extra special!

If you have studied with Famoudou and the crew before, you know. If you are unsure, ask around. And the way we handle workshops is unparalleled. Food will be traditional African or European, your choice. Vegan options available. If interested, call, write of text as time is short. We will help you every step of the way. Our organization will treat you like family and give you as much support to make this happen for you! Alan

For more info and to register, 
http://www.triptoafrica.org or http://www.famoudou.com

Alan Tauber

DrumConnection
Boston, MA
Phone: 001 617 686 6080

[djembefeeling]

Don't wanna be the spoiler, but did you hear about ebola getting out of control in Guinea?

http://www.who.int/csr/don/2014_06_24_ebola/en/

[michi]

I wouldn't be too alarmist about it. 65 cases in Guinea is a vanishingly small number compared to the millions of people living there. Not that I want to belittle things: ebola is serious. But we tend to go overboard when things like that happen. Your chance of catching ebola in Conakry right now is probably two orders of magnitude smaller than getting run over by a car tomorrow…

Michi.

[djembefeeling]

65 cases in Guinea is a vanishingly small number compared to the millions of people living there.

You mean Conakry, right? In Guinea in total it's hundreds. And while 65 cases in a city of two million do not seem to be an awful lot, it's the fact that the situation is getting out of control for the authorities and doctors that is alarming. And I still remember how josh felt when his wife was around in Conakry and only a few cases where reported in Conakry...

[tauber]

The news doesn't always get it right as those of us who travel to Guinea yearly know very well. Not saying anything bad about anyone at all. That's the nature of news reporting.

There are many other trips planned for Guinea, Mali and other West African drumming and dance communities for this Summer, now, in our Fall and then our Winter. People are signing up with the hope that the trips will run. I know most all the other organizers and will say that it is no one's wish for anyone to travel to a place where they would get sick. I'm a bit like a dad (father) when I am there, or a cruise director and I take care of my students. I make sure they are on all their meds, vitamins, juice or whatever.

In all the years I have run my Guinean trips, there was only one young student who was a little sick for a day or two but he CAME IN that way. So, Guinea climate actually helped heal him.

I assure you we are in touch with my family, all my sisters, cousins, mother, father, and all the extended family in various parts of Guinea, not just conakry and everyone is fine and we expect they will stay fine.

As many Africans will tell you in rhythms and songs or just in talking, "No one knows about tomorrow". We hope that as each day goes by and people are armed with the information on how to handle the current situation, the disease will die out and stop.

No one is running a trip to Guinea to put people in danger and I assure you all the other organizers of their trips have the same take on it. Scaring people is one thing. I think your original question was about did I know. Of course I know. Most all organizers have been to Guinea many times, live there or have family there, and have been through just about every possible weird situation that can happen. So we learn how to do it. I hope you'd consider traveling to study with Famoudou, especially if you never have! He is amazing and the living 'authority' of the djembe aside from being one of the kindest people in the world I have ever met. He teaches all he knows!

Peace out,
Alan

[michi]

Sorry, yes, I meant Conakry.

I do also believe that the situation is serious and that things could easily get a lot worse. But, right now, a few hundred cases spread over a population of many millions still represent a very low risk, in the sense that, if I go to Guinea, it's not exactly as if I were likely to catch ebola.

I suspect that, realistically, the probability of me getting killed in a car accident here in Australia is greater than the probability of me catching ebola in Guinea right now. It's easy to lose perspective when it comes to statistics. Evolution has bred into us to pay attention to the exceptional case, not the common case, because that is a survival trait. But it also means that human intuition is almost always wrong when it comes to estimating probabilities…

Cheers,

Michi.

[tauber]

Well said! I like your ability to say a lot in one sentence!

Respect.
Alan

[tauber]

We are announcing to the public now the Famoudou Konaté Workshops series on our Trip To Africa in Guinea 2016 —— January 9, 2016 to January 30, 2016. Extremely exciting! Your chance to study with THE Grandmaster and his crew at the home and compound of the Konaté family in Simbaya Gare. We already have 9 deposit checks so the trip is ON! Famoudou is very excited about the possibilities and he sounds amazingly strong, like always. He says he will make it extra special! This could be the last Guinea workshop with Famoudou so don't miss out on studying with the man who will show you from his hands to yours, ALL he can give in 3 complete weeks.

This is the most exciting trip out there this year! We know you have a choice when traveling to learn drum, dance, tambin, bala, ngongoma and chant, history, relevance, the generational attributes and rhythms per generations...And there are a few good trips. However, there is no one man alive today who can share all that with you like Famoudou Konaté. And with DrumConnection, Boston's World Music School and Shop, providing the structure, food quality, rest time, day trips, my family and friends, you can not be in better hands. Ask anyone who has traveled with us before. We can supply a list of past attendees who will sing the praises of how WE do a workshop in Africa. Ask Famoudou himself!

If you have studied with Famoudou Konaté and the crew, his family, before, you know that there is no one person alive today who knows the repertoire of the Konaté of Hamana. He has performed and taught in most every country and is known as the Bibliothèque of the Malinké Rhythms. If you are unsure, ask around. And the way we handle workshops is unparalleled. Food will be traditional African, cooked by thoughtful African chefs. Vegan options always available. If interested, call, write or text as time is short. We will help you every step of the way. Our organization will treat you like family and give you as much support to make this happen for you!

Guinea vs. The Gambia Discussion. At present we have decided that we will hold the workshops in Guinea at Famoudou's Home. However, we keep a daily watch both in the news and on the ground, yes daily, to see what is happening with Ebola. The final decision will be made October 10, 2015 which is the due date of the $500.- deposit check is requested. Full tuition must be paid before December 30, 2015. Please see the website's below for more info.

The trip will have a 25 person limit. A wait list will be started when we hit 25.
Alan

For more info and to register, http://www.famoudou.com
Alan Tauber

DrumConnection
Boston, MA
Phone: 001 617 686 6080