Gundo: Talking Drum - Arafan Turé

Gundo: Talking Drum: Talking about the Spirits of Music

- Rather listen to the sound of things, rather than to the beings - (Birago. Diop)

Gundo: Talking Drum / Arafan Touré - The Living Legend

®Picture Yolande VD Brink

(Guinea) - 26 years of percussion.

" In my mother tongue (Sousou), "Foy Gundo" is often referred to as, nothing, likewise with the Bambaras from Mali", says Arafan…" Gundo: Following the Banamas ...

As happened with a lot of other African drummers, the story tells that Arafan started to play the drums on simple tin cans during his primary school period. This scholarship he will very soon abandon to go out working as a mechanic in a garage in Conakry (it has to be admitted, Arafan still is a good technician).

Born in 1937 in Conakry, in a country with ancient musical roots, the young Arafan will grow into the so called popular groups who were animating, during the 50thies, the different quarters of the capital. The traditional folklore of Guinea being very diversified and rich, Arafan and his group will soon leave the conquered quarters of Conakry, to go out playing into the surrounding cities, the different rhythms, as there are the Yolé, Yankadi, Maané, Macrou, Oyé, Yokuli and others.

The Yolé club, the most musical and dancing group of Conakry in 1957, will tour with Arafan to the neighbour country Ivory Coast, and this travel will lead Arafan to learn, at the age of 20, other rhythms of Guinea, as well as those of neighboring regions.

During the first years of independence of the young socialistic republic of Guinea, the Department of Youth started, in 1959, looking for 35 talented artists throughout the country, to start the African Ballet of Guinea.

Gundo: Talking Drum : Séku Touré and Choreography ... Left photograph: shows Séku Touré who often intervened in the design of the choreography. Left Picture by Arafan Touré

"The gendarmes came to our house to pick me up; my father ordered me to get into their car and so I went to the boarding school for the national artists, directed at that time by Mister Kanté Fassali.

The ancient drummers were: Old Siaga, Laï, Bounkia, oriba, Arafan and Fadouba.

Dance and music are in Africa elements of daily life, from the morning light until late in the evening when the earth feels tepid. In this area, any event is the object of a rhythm, of spontaneous dancing steps, expressing the joy of living, the immediate satisfaction anytime, anywhere.

Gundo: TY / Talking - Arafan Touré

African bands have, since many years, been living in an environment at the inside of witch rhythm has always taken a very important place.

The musical sense of an African band is not innate, but is a cultural achievement; music is part of African tradition, of African history. Gundo: TY / Talking : Arafan Touré

With this heritage, the African ballet will leave Guinea in order to present it’s own choreography on several international theatre scenes. As it has been a tradition of eastern countries, the national culture, developed at that time by the social government of Séku Turé, will allow many artists to have an official social status.

Most of the main performances will take place in fraternal countries, such as Bulgaria, Romania, and Yugoslavia but have also been to the USA in 1960 – 1961. Right Picture by Arafan Touré

The other Grand National ballet, Djoliba, will be seen as a musical and dancing window on "the Guinea" of that time.

Arafan Touré will be the soloist of several choreographs, such as The Sacred Woods, Bagataï, Férékoroba, Piroguiers, Lions and Panthers, initiations, Köma….

The story tells us that Arafan has developed a technique in the National Ballet, which is the double beat playing on two jimbés at the time. Being a talented drummer, Arafan will initiate many Guinean drummers into the mastering of the rhythms of lower Guinea, High Guinea and the forestall Guinea.

The inside of the initiating rhythms of his music is too "brutal", to be accepted by, musically non-educated ears. ®Picture Yolande VD Brink

In 1985, the Board of the African Ballets of Guinea will allow Arafan again to travel around the world, as a solo drummer.

In the Netherlands, where he is living at the moment, Arafan is teaching percussion (Jimbé), in Rotterdam, Utrecht, Amsterdam and Arnhem. He is asked to participate to many concerts or rhythm sessions.

Drummers with an important Jimbé experience have been introduced in Europe and throughout the world. Amongst them are real master drummers such as Arafan, who has over 26 years of experience, or his Senegalese predecessor, the Major drummer Doudou Ndiaye Rose.

About seven years ago, when I went to Rotterdam to meet Arafan and take percussion courses, we discussed the mechanical functioning of drums with, especially on the Jimbé.

This instrument has been a subject of research, which I did on acoustics during that time.

By this, I came to realize that a great solo performer such Arafan, is marqued by the richness of the Dub South.

®Picture Yolande VD Brink

® By Mbagnick Diouf / Thanks to Martine Cermeulen for the translation.

Professional contact / Arafan Touré: 00 31 26 321 67 86

Gundo: TY / Talking Drum / Legend - Arafan Touré