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The American Cultural Center has invited Banning and me to speak at a press lunch they do every month for English speaking Malagasy press. The day before Sammy of Tarika Sammy lined up six groups for us to interview, record and photograph at CGM, Cercle Germano-Malagasy. They all do their own versions of Malagasy roots music featuring various combinations of local instruments--valiha, kobosy, drum, violin, guitar, and accordion. And the groups we asked about their working conditions here in Madagascar all spoke of the struggle to get support from local institutions such as radio and press and to earn a living from their music. For the most part, these groups are unknown outside of Madagascar--Petsam Bava, Nytsiaro, Ralonto, Telo Fangady, Tsivahiny, and Tanjona. So Banning and I went into the press conference with these stories fresh in our minds as we talked to leading local journalists from radio, television and daily newspapers. The twin topic was "Music Journalism" and "What the Internet Means for International Music in the Emerging Digital Market."

The press lunch was well attended. We opened with an excerpt of the Afropop Worldwide program "Mali Magic 2000" and I talked about American public radio's defining characteristics--the use of sound to recreate places in the imaginations of listeners and the use of the voices of the subjects of your story to tell their own stories. Public radio listeners in America take this for granted but it is rarely done in African radio. Banning talked about his work in print journalism and how important it is, especially when introducing people to foreign cultures, to set an artist or tradition in the larger cultural context. He also focused on the challenge of interesting young people in roots cultures and suggested that connecting these cultures to what they knew already was key. For example, rock and roll and the blues to West African sources.

We both talked about the promise of the Internet to connect local artists with a global audience and market. The conventional music business is tough. For a local African artist to get signed by a record label, then get distribution in record stores, noticed in the music press, to sell one's CD etc. etc. is a daunting challenge. But we do know there is a growing market for roots based pop. So, for example, for the Afropop team to come to Madagascar and meet some of the talented, unrecognized groups here, and then offer them free web pages to put up their bios, sound clips, photos, contact information, and ideally, a link to their own web sites holds out the potential to leapfrog the limitations of the music business, and connect them immediately with world music consumers and get bookings from festival presenters.

For sure there are a lot of issues to work out. But the Malagasy musicians present at the press conference--Hanitra, Rossy, Sammy, Bodo (most musicians here go by one name)--all were keen on developing their own web sites and exploring the potential of the Internet. They also expressed their appreciation to Afropop for coming all the way here and showing local press the international interest in local music. It seems there is more local media support for what is called "variete", painfully syruppy sentimental ballads to my ears, French rap, and the truly world music of our age from the American musical colossus. Of the dozen or so local FM radio stations, it's hard to find anything I find satisfying. Interesting to be sure, but compared to radio in West Africa, very disappointing in terms of presenting cool local sounds.

Rossy in particular was outspoken and said, "I want the local press to tell the mayor (of Tana) that Hiragasy groups don't event have a secure place to do their thing." Rossy's comment came after I said what impressed me here most so far was the Hiragasy (see Dispatch #1) , something so beautiful and unique that I could easily see it presented it by the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and other prestigious performing arts venues around the world.

The next morning, the Afropop group arrived from Paris, tired but excited. Eleven of the thirteen Afropoppers are returning veterans from previous trips, and it feels like a class reunion. Coming from as far away as Fairbanks, Alaska and Montevideo, Uraguay, these are the folks who nagged me to make Madagascar the next Afropop destination and I'm glad they did!

Our welcoming party that night at Hanitra's spacious house is a beautiful event full of music, conversation and delicious Malagasy cuisine. Hanitra's group Tarika perform an intimate living room concert, and show us in song the variety of what we'll be experiencing throughout the country for the next two weeks. Hanitra has also invited many musicians to introduce us to. Valiha master Sylvestre Randafison is one guest who honors us with a song (see photo section). Other valiha artists to perform include the amazing Radjery who lost the fingers on one hand as a young boy but through sheer determination figured out a way to play the instrument. Youngsters from Hanitra's Valiha High program for kids from poor neighborhoods perform. The wonderful group Benja Gasy show us music and dance from around the island. And Hanitra, being the international hostess she is, invites Banning to play a song from the classical Mali repertoire. The surprise honoree of the evening is American ambassador Shirley Barnes who celebrates her birthday with us today. Later in the evening a musician with a large string instrument he made himself regales us with Beatles songs and "Take Five." Tarika wrap up night with some get-up-and-boogie tsapika music from the south where we are soon heading. Thank you Hanitra for a very special evening! Our Afropoppers have their first clue of the dense, extraordinary program in store for them.

The next day features a ride up the steep hill to the Queen's palace situated at the edge of a dramatic cliff where Ravalona I, the first Merina queen in the early 1800s liked to have Christian converts thrown off of by way of discouraging encroaching European influence.

Of course we have to stop by a music store to stock up on local cassettes for the drive across the island. My bag of twenty cassettes includes Dr. J.B., Tirike (tsapika), Or Music (tsapika), Liva Ravel (tsapika), Ejema, Red Metal (heavy metal), Tianjama, 18.3 (rap), Ricky (roots pop), Rossy (roots pop), Senge, and Lego (salegy). We also have our fair share of the local Tana experience of getting stuck in traffic jams.

At night we are invited to a place out in the boonies by Johnny from Tarika Sammy. Johnny is the ace guitarist who plays roots Malagasy styles as well as rock with another group, Fangaro. We're promised Malagasy roots rock fusion tonight and we take our chances. Neither Hanitra nor our local guide, Didi from Cortez Expeditions, know this place and we have to ask directions from many people as our coach crawls down rutted dirt roads past modest, unlit mud houses. The place itself, Namaza House, is a grand house on a hill in the middle of nowhere. The leader of the rock group Fangaro lives here and puts on an informal, cabaret style musical soiree every Friday. What a cool scene! Malagasy woven and wood art share the walls with posters of B.B. King and Jimi Hendrix. The young crowd, mostly guys, groove to Fangaro's rock. And us Afropoppers bop on the dancefloor and smile at the déjà vu of teenage times at our first rock concerts.

The informal vibe means musicians such as Sammy and others guest on various songs. Multi-instrumentalist Sammy plays maravony, violin, a huge gourd instrument I don't know the name of , and sings backing vocals on the rocking tunes.

The most interesting group of the evening is called Sivy Mahasaky. They are a nine piece roots rock band that features Naivo on the Hiragasy trumpet player, Rondonne on violin (son of famous Hiragasy parents), Zaka on accordeon, Ra Jean Ba on valiha, and on violin; Jean Ba on valiha and a rhythm section and lead guitarist grounded in rock; blues and jazz. Very cool. To hear the hiragasy trumpet with the rockin band sounds to me like a way to connect Malagasy youth to their culture, and will surely delight world music fans in years to come.

Tomorrow we see the salegy star Lego. And then we head cross country to Tulear. No Internet connection expected until Tulear next weekend so stay tuned?..

Sean Barlow

Click on a caption to see an image
Afropoppers Milo and Susan dancing to Johnny's rockin band
Hanitra and US Ambassador to Madagascar Shirley Barnes
Hanitra (R) and sister Noor of Tarika performing for Afropop party at Hanitra's house in Tana
Sivy Mahasaky group live at Namaza House

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