African

Bernard Diedhiou is a Jola akonting player from the Kognout region of Casamance, who lives with his family in Saly, Senegal. Here we meet with him in the neighbouring town of Somone, where he played songs for us both solo and along with his group “Kadjamour”.  

The buchundo  is an instrument similar to the akonting (ekonting) played by the Manjago people of Senegal and Gambia.  Lauren discusses the buchundu and answers questions from Chuck Levy and Greg C. Adams.  

The right hand used to play the buchundu is different from the motion used by the Jola akonting players.  The Jola right hadn techniques is nearly indentical to minstrel/stroke style and clawhammer.

Watcha plays the song Basungouté. The akonting (or ekonting) is a folk lute of the Jola people. Filmed by George Smerin in Kafountine, Senegal 2018. 

https://www.smerin.com

Daniel Laemouahuma Jatta plays an akonting (ekonting) song composed by his father.  

The akonting is an instrument of the Jola people of Senegal and Gambia.  Daniel's right-hand technique is of particular interest.  

The Jola of the Cassamance region of southern Senegal have named this downstroke technique "o'teck", meaning "to strike".  O'teck is virtually identical to the first banjo style documented, "stroke style", and to the contemporary style known as clawhammer or frailing.

We are proud to release a new video from our Live Outside series recently recorded and filmed in the ancient West African Village of Kirina, Mali. This performance features Mahamadou Diabate and Sayba Diabate on the traditional instruments, calabash and kora, as well as PFC Band member, Roberto Luti, on steel guitar.

Their instruments are discarded gas cans, animals hides and whatever else they can scavenge to produce a tune. But they do make music.

It was from the late 1970s that young boys with homemade banjos were increasingly seen at street corners, on country roads and around towns in Malawi. They began to not only to construct banjos but also guitars, percussive devices as well as a huge bass banjo/guitar, usually with a single string, played with stick or a bottle as a slider.