ETRAN FINATAWA (Niger) and MOKOOMBA (Vic Falls)

A Celebration of Cultural Diversity at The Mannenberg

Friday 18 September 2009, 9pm

Friday 18 September brings another exciting music performance to The Mannenberg in Fife Avenue - ETRAN FINATAWA, a Niger-based music group which gives voice to the music of two nomadic peoples, the Wodaabe and Tuareg of the Sahara desert – with supporting act MOKOOMBA from Victoria Falls and the Zambezi Valley.

Among the grasslands of the Sahel and the shifting dunes of the Sahara desert, the Wodaabe and Tuareg are joined together in the raunchy guitars and haunting voices of Etran Finatawa.  As the winds of change cast uncertainty over their nomadic lifestyle, cultures are at a crossroads.  Etran Finatawa reflect on their roots, with a nostalgia and warmth that mirrors the majesty of their desert home.

The five musicians are Tuareg and Wodaabe people but now based in Niamey, Niger. The songs reflect their longing to return to their roots – the nomadic lifestyle which relies on cattle, the great expanse of the Sahelian grasslands and never-ending dunes of the Sahara.  Their music has been described as ‘exotic sound – highly unusual, haunting sounds on traditional instruments, very spiritual’.  Since the release of their first BBC Award-nominated album (Introducing: Etran Finatawa, 2006) the band has toured constantly all over the world. 

Besides the usual guitars and microphones, Etran Finatawa’s technical rider includes interesting traditional instruments such as a tende drum with ten kilos of sand needed for weight and a water calabash needing 3 buckets of water.  Large cushions and carpets add to the list, and set the stage for a fascinating performance and a real taste of the music of the people of the Sahara.

The Wodaabe and Tuareg share a vast area but are distinctly different in language and culture.  Etran Finatawa is famous for the successful fusion of their music, and richness of their combined cultures.  At this time in our region’s history they provide an important model for acceptance and tolerance, and the possibility of different people to live, work and thrive together - a precious resource at a time when xenophobia and tribalism are sweeping Africa.  The performance on 18 September coincides with the International Peace Day (21 September).

Etran Finatawa will be billed together with ‘MOKOOMBA’ – a group of young artists from Victoria Falls and the Zambezi Valley who have struggled against exclusion in that remote area to become Zimbabwe winners of the Music Crossroads Regional Music competition 2008, part of an international music network which will help them reach the world with an exciting new sound to add to Zimbabwe’s collective music product.

Pamberi Trust is a Harare-based arts organisation which exists to facilitate the arts.

Among many other projects for youth and gender, Pamberi Trust celebrates cultural diversity works for freedom of _expression and cultural exchange.  This performance is presented in collaboration with its South African-based sister organisation African Synergy Trust, which operates the ‘African Tour Circuit’ project to facilitate the movement of artists in the region.
Several highly successful events have taken place between Johannesburg, Mbabane and Harare since the project was established in 2007, seeing visiting artists from South Africa, Mozambique, Swaziland, Uganda, Ghana and Senegal, and many Zimbabwean artists also joining the Circuit to perform regionally.

Etran Finatawa is being brought to the region by the French Institute in South Africa to perform in Johannesburg, and this extension to Harare is the African Tour Circuit in action.  The visit also received support from the US Public Affairs Section in Harare, and ties in with another Pamberi Trust project, ‘Paw Paw Jam – A Celebration of Cultural Diversity’. 

Pamberi Trust Operations Manager Ian White said “This is a unique experience for Harare audiences, and we are delighted to be able to present such rich cultural exchange at The Mannenberg on Friday 18 September.  We extend a warm welcome to the musicians of Etran Finatawa.”

By Penny Yon