By Saraah Bikaï
I had the privilege to sit down with a few artists that were on the roster. Femi Kuti, Nigerian virtuoso, son of the renowned Fela Kuti, Noubi Trio an eclectic group, and Diely Mori Tounkara Malian; to chat as they shared interesting insight into their world, their work, and values. The conversation started out with their overall outlook on the future of music as African artists, their inspirations, influences and great teachers they’ve had in their lives. All lead me to one conclusion. Though they were are all distinct and unique in their own way, they share similarities both in their ideologies and inspiration. The traditions of storytelling and the importance that is given to elders; through teaching and training younger generations into becoming expert.
I come from a family of Griots,“ says Mr. Tounkara. “The Griot, in other words, is a mediator; they are storytellers. Long before history was written, the Griots were the guardians of our history.” He went on to express about the need to learn from others and his experience as an apprentice of the Kora instrument. Tounkara describes the instrument as “A mystical instrument the ancestor of the Harp.” Kora is a traditional instrument made from Calabash a hard shell inedible fruit in the family of squash used for artifacts. The instrument is constituted with fishing threads hardwood and cowhide. The sound is closest to the harp having 21 strings. Oftentimes people believe that African music is only to dance to. Back home we make music for all occasions. We make music to relax, to forget about our problems to unite one another to celebrate… for me, the Kora changed a lot of musical genera.”
Moving the conversation to the trio group Noubi one of the members talked about his experiences traveling with fellow musicians and his instrument The Cajón. The Cajon he explained is a part of his history as an African. During slavery in Peru, Afro Peruvians used boxes that they worked with, in the fields to pick vegetables and fruits. These same boxes were reused after work by the enslaved to make music to remind them of their countries and traditions. “Initially, we just wanted to create a more intimate setting for our audience” explains Noubi Trio member. “The Cajón was the element we found to be the most fitting to replace the drums and percussion to create that intimate atmosphere. The history behind the Cajón strengthens my connection to the instrument. However, It’s a challenge for me to bring it back to its origins. The Cajón is used in Peru and Spain in flamenco not so much in Africa. So therein lies our challenge educating Africans and to show them that the Cajon is theirs.”
These artists were influenced by their elders and the elders before them. Femi Kuti son of Fela Kuti, for instance, followed a specific path and ideology set by his father that he shares today with his nine children and the community. He opened an entertainment center located in Nigeria The New Afrika Shrine; to bring an awareness of their history and conditioning in hopes to break the mental and physical chains that are binding the community. The New Afrika Shrine values art, expression, emancipation, and activism. “ It has been the focal point to fighting corruption and injustice.” Each of his albums released defended his idea that Africans need to educate and emancipate themselves”. expresses Mr. Kuti “It’s a venue that stands liberated. I try to make people understand that it’s not about money; it’s about us spreading the message against oppression. To enlighten people who do not know about Malcolm X, or Martin Luther King, Marcus Garvey, Patrice Lumumba, and my father. The New Afrika Shrine was built to honor great people who have fought for the emancipation of Africa. “
“Africa for Africa is an organization that educates Africans about the importance of telling their stories.” Says Femi Kuti “To believe in themselves and understand that the continent, the African countries are colonial names. All these borders are put there to just divide us. We need to work around this or else we will continue to fight one another. The francophone or the Anglophone countries find it very difficult to agree we have to understand these are colonial structures and we need to love and care for Africa. We need to understand that war will never solve our problems, and we need to stop all these internal fights that we have there.”
“My song No place for my dream , is about great people who had the same visions, who were either killed or silenced. People were warning and advise me of my content, asking why am I going through this if the same thing could happen to me and that there was no point. In the song, I am saying that I still have to strive and continue because I believe in this. One people, One world today is where my mind is. I believe we all need to understand we are on one planet, and if we don’t understand this we are all going to be in trouble, as we see with climate change , and if we don’t understand that at the end of the day we are all one people, we are going to be in some serious problem. So this album is to bring the world together to understand we are all one.”
Some parts of Nigeria is in critical political conditions such in the city of Maiduguri, located in North East Nigeria with the Boko Haram atrocities. So many children have lost their parents they are malnourished and helpless. So my job is to enlighten people about their plight and see if we could get more donations to help them, and as a UNICEF’s spokesperson for those children, I can do that. By speaking up on their behalf’s, defending them and their rights. Despite the realization of the chaos and a fragmented history, these artists continues to advocate and tell their stories through their music in hopes to bring an awareness to the world. For this movement to persist and take its place, we must continue to be inclusive recognizing the struggles, because the idea of Afro-futurism is a future based on values that have been neglected and judged as primitive. Each musician’s greatest hope is to one day live in peace; where people will understand that oppression and, corruption has to stop. They believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel and will continue to shed that light through their music.
