Djandjoba or “The Big Gathering” is the final performance of the Timbuktu Grooves Festival celebrating the vibrant sounds and rhythms of the African continent and its diaspora. This concert transports listeners spiritually to West Africa by the calming sound of the kora, an ancient 21-string African harp, with a duet performed by master griots Wassa Kouyate from Mali and Flatie Dembele from Burkina Faso. The program will also highlight contemporary African music played by Sō Percussion, Dafra Kura band from Burkina Faso, and the Princeton University Afrobeat Ensemble.
As part of the Timbuktu Grooves Festival, McCarter Theatre Center presents a concert highlighting Malian singer-songwriter Fatoumata Diawara, wielding her electric guitar to write songs that blend Wassoulou folk music, spiritually centered Afropop, and desert blues. Singing mostly in Bambara, the national language of Mali, Diawara sings about migration, African identity, motherhood, and the struggle of African women. A veteran of the screen and stage, she debuted as an actress in the ‘90s, appearing in films such as Cheick Oumar Sissoko’s La Genèse and the Oscar-nominated Timbuktu. Since her 2011 debut LPFatou, she’s collaborated with the likes of Herbie Hancock, Bobby Womack, Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz), who co-produced her latest album London Ko. In 2019 she became the first Malian artist to perform at the Grammys, where she was nominated for “Best World Music Album” for her 2018 record Fenfo (Something to Say). .
Olivier Tarpaga‘s humanist piece Once the Dust Settles Flowers Bloom is the first of three concerts in the Timbuktu Grooves Festival celebrating the vibrant sounds and rhythms of the African continent and its diaspora. The piece sheds light on refugees of Burkina Faso and the Sahel region, who were displaced after fleeing from the shadow of jihadists. Seven dancers and five musicians from Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, Benin, Morocco and France will channel the strength and beauty of this displaced population. This performance will begin with a brief moderated conversation with Olivier Tarpaga. This performance will begin with a brief moderated conversation with Olivier Tarpaga and Professor Nicole Myers Turner from the Department of Religion. BONUS: Afrobeats After-Party! Join us for a post-show after-party at the McCarter Lobby, featuring drink specials, live DJ, and dancing! The performance is in partnership with McCarter Theatre Center, Seuls en Scène, Princeton French Theater Fes
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