Music From The Forest and Upper Guinea - part 1.

Format:

Video

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Africa.

Mandinka.

Ethnomusicology.

Guinea.

Local Subjects:

Africa.

Mandinka.

Ethnomusicology.

Guinea.

Genre:

Documentary

Physical Description:

1 online resource (55 minutes)

Place of Publication:

Paris, Ile-de-France : Qwest TV, 1988.

Language Note:

In English.

Original language in English.

System Details:

video file

Summary:

The dances of Guinea culture are intimately linked to nature, informed by forests, rivers, birds and time. They act as a strong catalyst and a connection point for community spirit, accompanying rituals and seasons and appearing here preserved in their various forms, transmitted from generation to generation. This film, shot in the late 1980s, marks an exceptional testimony to Guinea musical practices, from the south-east of the country to the banks of the Niger River. We journey near Macenta, where Toma women teach girls to perform initiatory rod dances while Malinké griots – unorthodox vocalists – tell of the epics of the Mandingo Empire. Then to Niagassola, where the old Kouyaté reveals the Sosso-Bala, a sacred instrument that is reputed to be the original balafon, once property of the Emperor Soumaoro (13th century), which now only he is permitted to play. Jeanne Lacaille

Notes:

Title from resource description page (viewed July 15, 2024).