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Oumou Sangare and Terrance Simien Perform for
Students in NYC and Bamako via Satellite, December
Contributed by Sean Barlow (December, 2006)
Pictures by Stefan Cohen
 Something extraordinary happened at Carnegie Hall in
New York City this week. In the latest edition of Carnegie Hall’s Global Encounters series, an auditorium full of curious, mostly African American students in New York was connected in real time via satellite with their peers in Bamako, Mali for a combination of performances and a lively Q&A session between the students. (See below.) The students in Bamako and New York wound up dispelling stereotypes and respecting more the way of life in each others’ cultures. And they had fun!
Mali’s internationally celebrated Oumou Sangare and her full 11 member band performed live for the students in New York with the students in Bamako watching on a big screen. Terrance Simien and the seven piece Zydeco Experience performed live for the students in Bamako with the students in New York watching likewise.
Oumou wowed the kids in New York with classic up-tempo songs from her repertoire. She said to the about 300 middle school teenagers that outsiders say that Mali is poor but she asserted that Mali is rich citing that Malians have big hearts, the Malian tradition of hospitality, and the rich community aspect of the lifestyle. She did not mention the fact that Mali is a functioning democracy and that the seven or so major ethnic groups live together in peace. As if to underline that, Oumou performed a beautiful song in the takamba rhythm of northern Mali and danced the graceful, arm-swaying takamba dance. Featured on this piece was the sizzling guitar work of Hamane Toure and the entrancing sokou (traditional one stringed violin, also called n’jarka in other Malian music traditions such as Ali Farka Toure’s) of Zoumana Tereta, both from the north. A brief film on the doso n’goni explored the hunters’ societies of the Wassoulou people, including their tradition of dancing in a circle firing their guns.
Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience played a rousing set of zydeco featuring Terrance on accordion and lead vocals. Both Oumou and Terrance had spent a week in the schools prior and had taught the students some about their respective cultures. Three Malian students came on stage to accompany Ralph Rontenot on frottoir (Rubboard). They looked like they were concentrating hard to pull their weight. Throughout his time on stage, Terrance occasionally threw a seemingly endless supply of Mardi Gras beads to the Malian kids. In the true Mardi Gras tradition, the kids leapt for the beads as if they were trying to catch a foul ball at Yankee stadium. Terrance explained that Creole people in
Louisiana were a mix of African, European and Native American…what he called a “jambalaya.”
The most fulfilling part of the morning, for this observer, came when the students got up to ask and to answer questions across the
Atlantic thanks to the magic of the real time satellite connection (which functioned without a hitch). Here is a sampling:
Q (from Bamako): How has this program changed New York kids’ perceptions of
Africa ?
A (from
New York ). Before this, I had a negative impression. All I saw in the media about Africa was news of disease and wars. Now I see the beautiful culture of and I feel better about
Africa .
Q (from New York): Why are men more important than women in
?
A: (from
Bamako ): Not true! (big uproar in audience)
Oumou interjected here that she’s an example of the success of women in . She says she’s both a successful artist and a successful business person. “I own hotels and factories.”
Q: (from New York): What needs to change in
?
A (from
Bamako ): Everything!
Oumou chimed in, “Not the music!”
Q: (from New York) What is the thing about Mali
that gives you national pride?
A: (from
Bamako ) Our heritage. Humanity. We love each other. We are our country’s future leaders (big applause in both audiences).
Q: (from Bamako) Would you like to live in
Africa one day?
A: (from New York) Since seeing Oumou and the videos of life in Mali, yes.
Q: (from
Bamako in English) In listening to the DVDs of you students before today, I could not understand you. What kind of English do you speak?
A: (from New York) No answer
Q: (from
New York ) What do you have to do to be in a hunters’ society? And what are your religious practices? Do you have ancient practices?
A: (from
New York ) A long time ago, we had ancient beliefs involving the spirit world and so on. Today many Malians blend traditional beliefs and Islam.
Q: (from Bamako a ten year old girl asks in English) What is your favorite music in
New York ?
A: (from
New York ): Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Naz, Ludicrous, Beyonce (kids in NY audience shout approval).
A: (from Bamako) All those groups are loved by students in
Bamako .
One would have hoped for the two bands to do a number together for the finale but the 1-2 second satellite delay would have caused a musical train wreck. Both Terrance Simien and Oumou did rocking final numbers as kids danced on the stages at both ends. During her rockin’ song “Yala”, Oumou took off her beaded bracelets and threw them into the crowd, following Terrance’s lead. The kids cheered. The most outgoing of the dancers was a guy in a track suit who did some athletic break-dancing center stage.
Backstage, after the event, Oumou expressed delight even though she groaned at the 7 a.m. sound/check that morning. It might just be a record for this seasoned performer!
Congratulations to the entire Carnegie Hall education department staff for this successful “From Bamako to the Bayou” event and the Global Encounters series. The lead programmer for this program is Mark Burford. He told us that this Global Encounters program featuring Mali and visiting Malian artists will continue throughout the 2007 winter and spring school year. Afropop’s Banning Eyre and myself had the honor of advising Mark on the program. The Carnegie Hall staff wanted to thank the U.S. State Dept. and an endowment grant from the Citigroup Foundation for their support of the Global Encounters program.
Part of the impact of the program that I’m sure the organizers intended was to make students from both New York and Mali how similar they are. The students looked remarkably similar in dress. They listen to the same music. About an equal number of boys and girls got up to ask questions. There were some noticeable differences too. The Malian kids expressed deeper pride in the values of their culture—“big hearts,” community and hospitality—than their American counterparts. The Malian kids knew and enjoyed American music and the American kids—before this program—did not know Malian music (availability of course being a big reason). And about half the Malian students spoke in good English while none of the American students spoke French.
Reflecting on the students’ enthusiasm and curiosity at Carnegie Hall, I naturally wished that more young students in the US could benefit from such an intensive Africa-focused learning experience. It breaks your heart to hear these African American students talk about their totally negative impressions of Africa before the program. But post-program, it is very encouraging to hear the appreciate words and see the lights in the eyes of these students.
| We are very interested in creating a conversation about the experience of American teachers in teaching
Africa to middle school and high school students. Lessons learned. Best practices. The use of music in your teaching. Best support materials, educational web sites, etc. Send your comments to info@afropop.org and we’ll post the results in January. If Malian teachers or students would like to comment on how American culture is taught in Malian schools, please do so. We speak French at Afropop. |
Happy Holidays!
First published: www.afropop.org
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