Malanding,
Question please
Did you live with Kekoi Gassama at Alhaji Sajo's house with Paps ? A good write up.Thanks your writing very soulful.
There is a an old formular in place out there for the bands to happily exist in The Gambia and to make a living out of music but only with an artistic leadership. Remember, that Ifangbondi left the Gambia in 1981 on a STRATIGIC RETREAT to Europe after the military coup of 1981 because music and football was banned in the Gambia for some years.Since then it has never been the same again.But before they left The Gambia, the was a scene.
Electric Power
There a huge factor affecting the musician in the Gambia today and that is energy supply (electricity). But to programme the existing bands in communty centres and enpower the regional youth clubs with municipal financial and logistical support, the bands will deliever. The existing bands at the present moment, have to pay for everything when they have to perform and share the rest among themeselves. There is no take-home money sometimes they work at a loss. In Europe the ministry of culture would grant subsidies to the bands for their expected loss and if they make a profit they should return the subsidy money back. For Gambian bands after take-home money there is notmuch left for bank saveings and instrunment repairs. Nothing is left to be recycled for future gains. Nada !
Cost Burden to organise
The Gambian bands would hire hall, GENERATOR, fuel for the generator, pay the generator man, buy the lock for the generator hous, pay for publicity posters and radio advertistment, pay taxes and purchase taxed tickets, hire chairs and tables,security and transportation. There is also no deducation on government entertainment permits and importation of musical materials and instruments. For every show up country you would need per show 200 people to break-through and to get your money back over for every show, over 100 kilo meters (includes hotel and nourishment).Tickets are always D100 at all show in youth club dances. There is always a community business that trives from these dances.Villages would come out in numbers to sell everything from fruits, peanuts, cershew, bread and oyester sause. From the entrance to the toilet rows, there are stalls with all kinds of things for sale and in undercover bags, outside on the fences there are food stands, tanganas, Afras,
Chin-kin-chas (the grinded peanut dibi), and not too far away a Daka a sellingpoint for kana and palm wine. Like the Mansumankas of Georghetown, Sambang in Basse, Uhuru cinema in Bansang, Kerr Kinta in Serekunda, Soma bar, Fankanta and Mr. Mccurley's shop n Brikama, Koto Wali in Brufut. There was a scene.When Ifang bondi comes to town it was an economic activity for the towns and villages. This happens every month or so in big towns and in small towns every three months. The town tailors are psacked busy, the golgd and silver smith is packed busy, the hair dressers, barbers, wash and ironing women, everyone have something. People learned how to work for theses occations and saved money for this. The was no random spending. All was is for the big day, the band comes top town.
Community centres
Each community should take up the responsibility and initiate a meeting towards the reconstruction of the community centres for village TV, social gatherings, seminars, light entertainment, band music training and coaching.
They have to re-condition the community centres of Bakau, Georgetown, Basse, Brikama, Mansa Konko-Faranenni, Build one in Gunjur, Brufut and in Soma.
With the following
1.To install each sizeable generators in the community centres
2.To provide fuel/gas monthly energy budget for the generators,
3.Decorate the stage and furnish the hall with lamp, tables and chairs
4.Toilet facilities and water service in all community centres
5.Office, Musical PA system and lighting system for all community centres.
6.Security, notice board, TV and conference facilities.
The Fomula
The social clubs will hire the halls for Parties, weddings, graduation, celebrations, naming ceremonies, and invite the bands to come over. I worked with Ifang 4 days a week from Thursday to Sunday (every sunday talent search show / Hewareh at The tropical). The band was busy all my time, everyweek. We had a calender of 4 months advance contractual arrangements from The Gambia to Senegal. We had agressive marketing in place and well ahead planned publicity. Our agents also do advertise all the future show throughout the Gambia
The Community youth clubs is the Key
Working as the organiser of the Ifangbondi events I can recall that it was the social clubs that give jobs to the band and not from the government With government it was only on state visits or on national holidays that we were engaged. And before you get your money,a long-wait , if you dare to ask. The local people had their favourite tunes and they don't bother about the langauge they sing in or how the band dress, they love their event and they lobbied for their fans who pay for the tickets. I remember clubs and tour agents like the Dabanani in Gunjur and JOJ, Sedat Bojang in Sukuta, Black Dragons of Brikama, Peter Gomez in Bwiam, Kebba Kora in Bansang, Malick Kurbally, Slo Othman and Alieu Jeng in Basse, Henry Omar Williams in Brufut, Georgetown Mr. Baldeh and many more. In all these places we had a network of agents and a rotating system of events taking place and when. In each town or village there are over five good and financially healthy social clubs which can
easily pull 300 people from the town and the neighbouring towns to meet the 200 ticket breakthrough point.
Exiciting Times
There are at the moment very good and entertaining bands in the Gambia that I worked with in the last two years (2004/2006). Sambou Suso is putting up good shows, Musa Ngum, Mass Lowe, Pabobo & Sefai Joberteh's Band, Jaliba still kicking, Tata Ding Ding and a band called Petaw Bi (instrumental) and a backing band for many Ndaga and mbalax solo singers. They can all deliever quality music. They need the instruments, the costumes and a programme.
Living Abroad as an African musician is not easy
Working and living abroad for blacks (now Arabs) is getting harder by the munite, not only with the rise of terrorism but the capiatalism has completely stetched her wings to the fullest and people all over can all realise that it is not a sloution to a material rich world and too many poor people.Wages are going down in the west and neo-nazis and nationlist parties are influencing the decisions of governments (for votes in parliament) not to grant work and stay permit to blacks. Even though they pretended that the burden is Romania, Bulgaria and Mexico. The Eastern Europeans are coming in colour, they are so good in the jobs once discreminatively reserveded to unprofessional Blacks, like cleaning, production line and packing jobs, pricesticking, etc. We do not grow up with this in Africa. For an artists to get a work permit not not easy unless you are resident and earn not less that 1800 Euros a month after 17% tax. This is in all EU countries.
With a good structure and a dedicated leader the artists can work at home and in the sub-region when they have a ministerial or investment budget and a programme guide. They will make profit and with the generation of CDs, DVDs and cable TV, cassettes sales etc they will be known before arrival in many countries. Even in Europe and America.
Artist living in Africa are very successful
Most successfully bands live in Africa including Lucky Dube, Youssou Ndour, Alpha blondy, Hugh Masekela, Femi Kuti and Angeligue Kidjo etc. At home there is still a fan club base and a family unit to survive on shared value. Poverty in Africa is more managable than poverty in Europe and America.I would like to musicians to work from home as a source of stimulation and inspiration.
P/S.
a."Baila Touray" was a song called Bada Touray. Madame Bada was a very known lady and a patron of the band. Yes, the Super Eagles was later called Ifangbondi in 1971 in London.
b. The return of Ifangbondi
This is Soto Koto Band. I arranged a European and an American tour. The band which is partly Americans and Partly Gambian. It is an insrtrumental backing band when I record a very good singer like Pap Touray, I also recorded Abdel Kabirr and Jaliba Kuyateh.This is my own company.You can get the music on www.E-bay.com, www. Amazon.com and @ www.towerrecords.com
Many thanks my brother
Oko Drammeh
www.higheroctavemusic.com
okodrammeh.com
Malanding Jaiteh <[log in to unmask]> wrote: Oops,
Story will read well if -
famous ifang bondi becomes famous Super Eagles (para 1 sentence 4)
absence of instructure becomes absence of infrastructure (para 3 sentence 1)
Malanding Jaiteh wrote:
> Brother Oko,
> Once again thanks for that piece of history. My first encounter with
> the Pap Touray/Super Eagles/Ifan bondi was at the village some three
> decades ago. I remember peeping through the kriting fence of a "ball
> pouserr" (too young to be allowed in) with one accomplished fellow
> demanding that Super Eagles record be played. Did not learn the lyrics
> but went something like..."Baila Touray, Super Eagles......". A few
> year later around 1975, I remember a big brother of mine preparing for
> the return of Ifang bondi. Of course I did not know who they were but,
> someone said they used to be famous Ifang bondi. Although I was too
> poor and too young to attend their evening dances, I managed to crash
> a few of their shows at Odeon Cinema. While Dei Maga may have been
> their most remarkable creation my favorite of their songs is "Yai
> Set". Not only for the beat but the lyrics. For me "Nit ku neka lulla
> neh Nga mel...." is perhaps the best interpretation of the the
> meaning of democracy. I still find myself using that line.
>
> I later had opportunity to know Pap Touray in person about 1979/80.
> One of my friends was his next door neighbor at his Hope Street
> residence. Although my friend and I were young, we did had great
> access to Pap and he seemed to quite enjoy our company. I found him
> very open, friendly, selfless individual who spent all what he earned
> on others. He constantly "Pejjeh" us attaya. His favorite lines of
> advice- focus on our study; and keep away from girls and drugs.
>
> As for the "Big let down". Perhaps it was deliberate, but I see the
> problem as more than just lack of government support. Development of
> Arts and Music like any aspect of Gambian life suffered from lack of
> critical mass (small and generally uneducated population) and absence
> of instructure (institutions with adequate resources including human)
> to noture and direct talent. Compared to our big sister Senegal,
> University of Dakar (though not a creation of the Government of
> Senegal) role in pushing Senegalese art and Music cannot be ignored.
> Also relatively large urban Senegalese population over 1 million in
> the 1970s (compared to less than 100,000 in the Gambia) provided the
> customer base needed to artists to stay home and not go abroad (as in
> case of Gambians). You would recall that in the '70s the Gambia could
> only offer no more than 2 good shows per year to stars like Youssou
> Ndour. Even now with an urban population of no more than 700,000 and
> only one city (over three quarters of of whom are not earning a pay
> check), it is hard to imagine how many big bands can co-exist in the
> Gambia.
>
> I believe our success would depend on how well we develop our only
> resource (human) and facilitate for them to go out there (the world)
> and make a living and be proud to return home with their hard-earn
> money to invest in the country without the fear that someone will mess
> up with them.
>
> Malanding
>
>
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