montreal's
2009 NUIT D'AFRIQUE MUSIC FESTIVAL
report filed by Robert J. Lewis
Now
in its 23rd year, Montreal’s Festival
International Nuits d’Afrique continues,
like no other festival of its kind, to gather together into
one event the best of what Africa has to offer in respect to
its music and influence on world culture.
If
in the early years of the festival, it was implicitly expected
of the programmers that they showcase music directly related
to Africa, that Afro-centric position has been somewhat relaxed
in favour of a more comprehensive view that recognizes how quickly
-- that is fiber-optically -- music can travel, picking up all
sorts of influences and inflections during its itinerations.
To the huge credit of this years outstanding (visionary) festival
programmers, Frédéric Kerdavec (International)
and Hélène Dimanche (National), Africa’s
exceptional influence on the world’s music was accorded
just as much importance as its music proper, resulting in what
many have described as the most compelling Nuits d’Afrique
Festival ever.
If
the test of any cultural product is its ability to influence,
mix with and find a home in a foreign land, Turkish music, for
example, or pentatonic music (black keys only on the piano)
indigenous to China have had almost zero impact outside their
borders. African music, on the other hand, has incontestably
changed the face of music around the world; and this year’s
Nuits d’Afrique Festival paid long overdue homage to that
remarkable accomplishment.
Think
of African music making an enforced voyage to America, then,
with a change of thinking initiated by Abraham Lincoln, the
music returns to Africa, then leaves again and makes a pit stop
in Jamaica, another stop in Cuba, ending up in Peru. The result,
which calls itself Novalima
-- a hybrid (high breed) group -- was easily one of the most
enthusiastically (hyper-energetically) received shows in the
entire festival. And it didn’t matter that not one member
was born in Africa, since they were all beholding to the African
influence.
No
less so for Rap music and its striking accents and arresting
rhyming schemes. Take away the musical accompaniment and listen
to the sounds of Rap, its gutturals, the trance inducing cadence,
and it all derives from the primordial pulsations (wordless
speaking) generated by the conga or djemba et al. And
when the words are allowed to speak, they constitute a single
protest against the world’s original sins not only against
Africa but injustice wherever it manifests, which is why Rap’s
unrelenting rhythms will repeat for as long as necessary: ‘don’t
give up the fight.’ Variations on that theme and music
(urban groove) were delivered by the madly inspired Sargent
Garcia, whose fearless festival opener turned out to be a tough
act to follow.
Since
turning to music for its healing (pharmaceutical) properties
is a widely accepted – if not acknowledged – practice,
more and more of us are embracing the generic sound of the Kora
to supply the calm and serenity today’s hectic pace of
life doesn’t allow. One couldn’t have asked for
a more sublime supply
than from the truly gifted Balla
Kounkara (from Mali) who expertly revealed the
full potential of his instrument. With a technique that is over
the tops, he is surely an ambassador for an instrument that
asks the left thumb to lay down a complex bass line while the
right fingers weave counter melodies. Kounkara’s ability
to get his hands to work independently in the service of a lyricism
that arrives like long awaited rain in a dry place was a festival
highlight. A few days later, another Malian, Mansa Sissoko,
joined forces with banjo strummer Jayme Stone, and together
they made everyone aware of the Kora’s influence on the
banjo as well as the natural complicity between the two instruments.
If
there was one group that epitomized the ability of African music
to combine with all other musics, it found its perfect expression
in Capetown’s Freshly
Ground, led by awesome voiced, battery energized
and crowd engaging Zolani Mahola in what was perhaps, along
with Novalima, the festival surprise concert. Like a sauce that
refuses to betray its myriad ingredients, Freshly Ground playlist
transcended its many influences while exemplifying the cause
and concept of World Music.
When
the term was first coined in the 1960s, African Genesis referred
to the place (the
continent) where it all began for homo sapiens, when man was
first recognized as qua man. At the conclusion of this
year’s Nuits d’Afrique Festival, it occurred to
me that African Genesis could now just as easily refer to the
epicenter of another birthing -- of world music -- whose ripples
have traversed the globe. For 12 glorious days in Montreal,
Africa’s influence on world music was on display, which
is why Festival International Nuits d’Afrique is regarded
by many as the best of its kind on the planet, and why 2010’s
24th edition promises to be even better.
Photo
Credits: ©
MARCEL DUBOIS