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Briggs Lawrence County Public Library, the Ironton Council for the Arts and Ohio University Southern is pleased to present Malian kora musician, Mamadou Diabate and ensemble, in a special performance at the Riffe Rotunda at Ohio University Southern on Tuesday, July 22 at 7 p.m. Everyone is invited and the performance is free to the public.
Mamadou Diabate was Named World Music Artist of the Year by the American Folk Alliance in 2007 and is a Grammy-nominated recording artist. Mamadou and the ensemble play traditional West African music fused with elements of jazz, blues and rock on the 21-stringed kora. The ensemble includes Balla Kouyate playing balafon (similar to a xylophone), Ibrahima “Kolipe” Camera on percussion and Mawuena Kodjovi on bass.
Mamadou was born in in Kita, a city long known as a center for the arts and culture of the Manding people of the country of Mali in West Africa. Mamadou is a member of the Mandinka West African jeli (musician caste) family. Since 2000, Mamadou Diabate has released three CDs, one of which, Behmanka (World Village), was nominated for a Grammy in 2005. In 2007 the American Folk Alliance recognized him with the World Music Artist of the Year award. After touring the US in 1996 as part of the Instrumental Ensemble of Mali, Mamadou decided to stay in the US and now calls it home.
Ibrahima "Kolipe" Camara, a Master Drummer from Guinea, West Africa, began his study of the djembe at the age of 10 with Yamoussa Camara of The National Ballets; Les Ballets Africaines and Les Merveilles De Guinee. In 2000, Kolipe joined Les Ballets Africaines, the internationally recognized representatives of West African culture, and the highest level of accomplishment for a Guinean percussionist. As a lead drummer for the Ballet, Kolipe toured throughout Africa and the United States and since 2005, he has been living in New York; teaching, touring, and performing.
Mawuena Kodjovi, was born in Paris, France, and spent his entire childhood in Togo (West Africa) his father's homeland. Very early, he learned his first chords on the guitar, observing and listening to his bid brothers and friends play high life music. Later, Mawuena went to music school in France. There, he studied music theory and specialized in Jazz, although he was still evolving into the Afro-Caribbean music scene. Since then, he has collaborated with artists from all horizons. Mawuena is a multi instrumentalist who can play bass, piano, drums, various percussion, traditional flute, and he is a fine singer as well. He also is skilled as a composer and arranger.
Balla Kouyate, one of the greatest balafon players from the jeli tradition in Mali. The balafon (the ancestor of the xylophone) was given to Balla's ancestors by nobles and has remained in his family ever since. Balla seemed destined to play this instrument, learning at the age of six and giving his first performance in Bamako, Mali at "Palais de la Culture" with Malian singer Sanignai Kouyate. Balla became a member of the National Percussion of Mali in 1994 and has been featured on 23 albums in Mali. He first came to the US touring with his sister, renowned vocalist Kanibaoule Kouyate.
In addition to the free public performance, the Briggs Library will present two cultural outreach programs featuring the musicians who will perform, as well as talk about their music, instruments, culture and travels. The free programs are at 2 p.m. Monday, July 21 at the Main Library in Ironton and at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 22 at the Sybene Senior Center (who is a co-sponsor of this outreach program). Both programs are free and open to the public.
The programs are part of the Ohio Arts Council’s IMPACT (International Music and Performing Arts in Communities Tour) program with the goal of developing new audiences for the arts and providing performances by multi/cross-cultural artists throughout the state on an annual basis. The IMPACT program is funded by the Ohio Arts Council, and produced in collaboration with the Ohio Arts Presenters Network.
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