On our way back to Europe - there are koras waiting to be finished and a workshop to run.
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- Our new website - September Workshop Confirmed -
- The Rainy Season - Heading to Europe -
- WOMAD AT Home - What's On -
I love this photo by Nic Kane of our regular and now advanced student Gergely, in Mas de Jammes in the Aveyron, France where we hold our group workshops. I hope he doesn't blush too much at being our 'pin-up' for this newsletter. It sums up the place; green, shady, relaxing and yet a place for concentration and learning. See below for more details.
UPDATED WEBSITE
A new look, easier to purchase the downloadable Tutorials, buy or try an Online Lessons, book Workshop places plus a News section to help you keep track of us :-)
SEPTEMBER WORKSHOP - FRANCE
The only workshop we have been able to hold this year is 23rd - 30th September and are delighted that it can go ahead. Arrivals are on Wednesday the 23rd and we start with supper that evening. The workshop begins the next morning. There is a short group session but most of the tuition is individual, simply because of the nature of learning to play. People often pair up to support each other, but everyone learns differently and there is scope for everyone to learn and progress.
Details are here on our lovely new website. It is held in a beautiful rural location at Mas De Jammes and there is both shared accommodation and private still available,
ON OUR WAY TO EUROPE ONCE MORE
For so many people all over the world, life this year has been at best strange and at worst a true disaster. I hope you all fall into the former category. Fortunately as the travel restrictions began we were coming towards the end of our season here, and we had the freedom to be able to stay. It was a good decision that has kept us sane....hmmm....yes I know you're thinking it, so there's no need to actually say it! In between lots of gardening, fixing and improving things at our own house, Adam has been able to play more kora than ever before. I (oh joy!) was able to work on the new website and our accountant was shocked to get everything on his virtual desk by the end of May - a full six months earlier than he expected. There are always at least two sides to everything, even pandemics.
So after what will be a ten month stay, it is now becoming easier to travel. After a few messages and emails batting backwards and forwards about whether we needed a really expensive and very inconvenient CoVid test to fly (we don't) we are finally heading back to the European lands of cheese, creme patisserie and good biscuits. Adam's choice is top quality beef-burgers, followed by another top-quality beef-burger! 'What about the Marmite?' I hear you cry but bizarrely we only crave it when in Kafountine. Even in France it sits dejected in the cupboard and can only dream of being appreciated like its counterparts in Senegal. We had a good stock thanks to the generosity of friends and guests but we did eventually run out about six weeks ago. It was naturally quite stressful leading up to the actual last scrape but as you can tell, we have survived. It is amazing how tough you can be when you need to be.
So, on the 15th this month we fly back to Europe from Dakar and presuming flooding or renewed restrictions don't stop us, we will be back in France completing kora orders and preparing for the September workshop. We have always flown in to and out of Banjul in The Gambia which is our closest international airport, but that border has been closed since mid March and will probably remain closed until the beginning of November. So this time it's a 4x4 journey across a (hopefully) partially flooded causeway to Ziguinchor, a flight to Dakar and a direct flight on to Marseille. Our car is in Barcelona and some kora materials are in the UK and Germany, but we're on it! Some kora customers have been patiently waiting since October - or at least they appear patient, they may be gnashing their teeth at night and crying into their pillows but thankfully we don't hear about it.
We're very pleased to be flying with Air Senegal who have been great at answering emails - in English - and whose flights have been the more reasonably priced ones. Once their full schedule is back they are adding direct flights between London Stansted and Dakar so any UK-based bods who fancying visiting the city slickers way up north, before coming to us country bumpkins in the deep south will soon find that option much more affordable.
Over the years, we have increased the length of our stays here in Kafountine to 6 months. We were already contemplating making it more like 8 months but that meant no longer doing the May workshop, which felt like quite a major step. This year it was all taken out of our hands and so now reducing the French workshops to just one in September seems perfectly simple. The UK one in the summer is becoming more popular so we will develop that instead.
We will only have a relatively brief stay in Europe this year as we will aim to be back in Kafountine late October as we have guests arriving in November. Some people are unsure about booking for this winter because of CoVid and we can only suggest that anyone who is vulnerable or nervous about travelling leaves it for another year. We ourselves feel very confident flying and living here, but everyone needs to make decisions that work for them. We will be absolutely delighted to see you if you do come, and look forward to seeing you another time if not. There is lots of general information on our site and we're very happy to answer questions.
Ah! That's why it is called
THE RAINY SEASON
Because of our extended stay we have encountered our first rainy season. After a couple of initial dramatic storms, with one friend having his new roof completely pulled off and a palm tree coming down in our garden (rather considerately missing all the plants) it has been just err...rain. Lots of it.
We've had several more thunderstorms but thankfully there has been no more of the raging wind that came with those initial rains. Sometimes it is just a shower to remind us that rain is possible, at other times a sudden downpour lasts all day as in the clip above. Those can cause small lakes to appear in the garden and going anywhere means wading. One morning I stood listening to the sea in the distance and wondering why the sound came only from the south-west and not directly west as it usually does. Its slowly got louder and louder until we realised it was actually rain, working its way towards us. A torrential curtain of sound, quite remarkable.
What is quite amazing is how quickly several inches of rain just disappears once it stops, absorbed by the sandy paths on our land. You have to be wary of the dark patches though as they represent slippery, squidgy areas. I've only gone over once but was unfortunately carrying eggs... The main track into town is a different matter and there are huge puddles that will stay for the duration.
The temperature is lower at around 25-28°C most days but the humidity is well over 90%. I finally understand what that means - i.e. at 100% the air cannot absorb any more moisture. So, even just sitting and reading a book makes you sweat profusely! My usual post-lunch chill is sometimes more of an all-afternoon collapse. While it is raining the air is wonderful and fresh and it does stay cool for a while afterwards. There have been plenty of days when it has poured down but by the evening we are amazed at how gorgeous the weather is, with the cool sea breeze and the garden looking so fresh and vibrant. Most evenings we are able to sit out on our rooftop terrace completely surrounded by the bush, playing a word tile game called Banagrams (very appropriate) drinking tea, eating roasted peanuts and marvelling at how good life can be. You imagined sophistication and cocktails on the terrace? Ha! then you obviously haven't met us :-)
WOMAD at HOME
WOMAD joined the ranks of festivals reluctantly but inevitably cancelled this year. They, like several others, managed to produce instead a great online version, free for all and accessible from all over the world. It is still available so you can go and try out some of the recipes at Taste the World, listen to playlists and enjoy the videos and images.
Many people have found the development of online concerts and workshops as a really positive outcome of the restrictions as it has enabled people to be involved who would not normally. We've certainly enjoyed sharing comments on Josh's online concerts (see next one below) where we see old friends pop up in the chat window. I particularly love seeing people greet each other, where friendships have developed across the word because of our workshops.
Tickets for WOMAD 2020 are valid for 2021 - check out their Tickets Info and FAQs See you there, with over 500 strings in the Arboretum :-)
WHAT'S ON?
I've been searching the net for kora events and not surprisingly have not come up with any live events, or at least ones that have not sold out! However there are two online gems I know of - Josh is doing another of his very popular Live Streams on Wednesday 12th August at 7.30pm BST and Pa Bobo Jobarteh and Jali Bakary Konteh will be performing at The Philadelphia's Folk Festival digital festival on August 15th at 8.30pm EST which is the middle of the night for Europeans - but hey what's a few hours lost sleep to a dedicated kora fan :-) The folk festival will appeal to more than kora fans, so spread the world about it which runs from the 13th to the 16th August.
Also Seckou Keita's website has dates that have not yet been cancelled in the UK from 23rd August onwards (keep fingers crossed for them and make enquiries quick!) plus plenty of future dates to look forward to.
