Afrique Sogue Presents An Evening Celebrating Mande Music:
Afrique Sogue, meaning, The Sun of Africa, celebrates the dance and musical culture of the Manding and the Mandinka people, those descendants of the great pre-colonial empire of what is now considered Guinea, Gambia, Senegal, Mali, Ivory Coast, and Burkina Faso. Afrique Sogue proclaims the diversity and unity of these regions.
We invite all to join us for an evening celebrating the diversity and richness of Manding Culture. Mande Culture, which spread across West Africa with the rise of Sudjiata and the Great Mande (Mali Empire) established by legendary warrior Sundjiata. Between the 16th and 19th century, many Mandinka people, along with numerous other African ethnic groups, were captured, enslaved and shipped to the Americas. They intermixed with slaves and workers of other ethnicities, creating a Creole culture. The Mandinka people significantly influenced the African heritage of descended peoples now found in the Caribbean, Brazil and the southern United States.
We will bring together an impressive array of artists from different regions of this great Manding Empire. We come together to express deep pride and gratitude for our many teachers, and for the many artists who through the legacy left by our ancestors, have found opportunities to create art and share culture in places far from family and homeland.
About the Director: Mohamed Lamine Bangoura is a master drummer and musician - a djembe fola, an expert in African percussion. He has been lead percussionist and musical director for African ballets across West Africa and the San Francisco Bay Area. Lamine is a descendent of Sousou and Malinke ancestors, from Guinea, West Africa, and has spent much of his life traveling throughout Western Africa, to study music and enrich his understanding of the many cultures and ethnicities of his continent. Unity has thus become the marker of his artistic style, influenced by the diverse number of artists and teachers whom he’s worked with. Through his music, Lamine’s passion for preserving the history and traditions of his beautiful culture is revealed in his open hearted eagerness to share joyfully energetic rhythms that will move your soul. It will be a delightful experience you don’t want to miss!
“Wontanara, wu mu Fatama,” together we exist as whole.
