INTERVIEW WITH SENAMIE TAYLOR, FORMER MUSICIAN FROM SUPER EAGLES/IFANG-BONDI

 

 

 

By Mamour M. Mbenga

 

Foroyaa: Can you please introduce yourself to our readers and the arts world?

Senamie: I am Senamie Taylor, a former musician from Super Eagles and Ifang-Bondi band and I am a Gambian.

Foroyaa:  What inspired you to become a musician?

Senamie: I just love music, I just love arts. I was inspired listening to good music from the Carribean, Ghanaian, Congolese, English and American music.

Foroyaa: For how long have you been in the music arena?

Senamie: I have been in the arena since 1966-67.

Foroyaa: Were you a solo musician or part of a band?

Senamie: I was playing with the Super eagles band from 1966-67. I was one of the founding members and in 1975, we started the Ifang-Bondi band.

Foroyaa: Who were the founders and what is the meaning of Ifang-Bondi?

Senamie: It’s a group, ‘a join hands collaboration’. The name Ifang-Bondi is a Mandinka word which means be yourself, show yourself out in simple terms.

Foroyaa: Who were the leading vocalists and how many musicians were performing in the band?

Senamie: It was Paps Touray and Alberr Ali Happ and there were nine musicians into the band.

Foroyaa: Tell us the history of Paps Touray and Alberr Ali Happ, their days in the music arena?

Senamie: They were brilliant musicians especially Paps Touray. He was my very close friend and also my mentor. We worked together most of the songs we composed, songs like paradise on earth was composed by me and sang by Paps Touray. Alberr Ali Happ was also a brilliant musician, he sings nice melody songs in Fulla, Mandinka, Wollof and of course in English version too. They were so nice and friendly indeed.

Foroyaa: Did Ifang-Bondi ever won any music award?

Senamie: Yes, but in the name of Badou Jobe, he won a Kora Award in South Africa as the best music arranger, the song was named Yolele which was composed by me and lyrics was written by Alberr Ali Happ.

Foroyaa: What were some of the difficulties encountered by the band during their music performance?

Senamie: There were a lot of ups and downs. I cannot mention them all. If there was lot of chances it couldn’t have been different. There were a lot of obstacles which delayed us. Definitely, things supposed to be better with more privileges and facilities.

Foroyaa: Why does the Super Eagles and Ifang-Bondi no more exist?

Senamie: Most of them passed away. Musicians have gone on their own and the Ifang-Bondi Band itself later was no more integrated.

Foroyaa: Are you still performing in the music arena?

Senamie: Yes, am still performing. Am trying for myself jamming with bands especially my son’s band.

Foroyaa: Since you started music as your career, what have you benefitted from it?

Senamie: A lot of experience, lots of fans and travelling all over the world, meeting friends. If you are thinking in terms of financial benefits, no, no there is nothing like that but am happy to be living and hoping for a better future.

Foroyaa: Why is Gambian music still lagging behind and not performing in the international world stage?

Senamie: Many people don’t understand and they do not respect arts. All eyes can see that the average number of the Gambia people don’t love their own culture. When you forget your culture and take other peoples’ culture automatically you will never stand a better place. Musicians must perform and love their culture and then people will respond and recognize you better all over the world.

Foroyaa: How can make an artist to be a super star?

Senamie: You must work hard. They don’t sell it in shops and markets, working hard and believing in what you are doing. Believing in yourself is the key to success.

Foroyaa: Why is Gambian music not having a standard recording label?

Senamie: No, different artists are having record labels and they are recording songs and demos, artists like freaky Joe commonly known as Singhateh.

Foroyaa: But our recording labels are not recommended and not up to international standard?

Senamie: Well, we are just beginners in terms of capacities and facilities but we have made good music that has been marketed to the international music world.

Foroyaa: Was it true that the Senegalese Super Star Yousou Ndour was a member of the Ifang-Bondi Band?

Senamie: No! No!, Yousou Ndour was a fan of the Ifang-Bondi Band and was with the Maga dan in those days in Banjul in the street of Lasso Warf. He has never been with the Ifang-Bondi Band.

Foroyaa: What are some of your development plans as a giant musician to transform the Gambian music to stand a better place?

Senamie: There are a lot of different plans. To cover up I cannot list them all but am linking with a big time producer, Oku Drammeh. We are also linking with friends in America, who I cannot name at this moment but we are working on plans for music tour to make things go better.

Foroyaa: What is the vaccine solution to cure the poor Gambian music?

Senamie: I don’t like that statement. We have no poor music, things are not stagnant, things are moving forward, if we can have good producers to produce good music, everything will be fine. Production takes a lot of time and finance, that’s the vaccine, time and money.

Foroyaa: Through your long term observation in the Gambian music arena, do you think the upcoming artists are performing hard?

Senamie: Yes, they are doing very well, they just need a little bit of schooling or training but they are doing fine.

Foroyaa: Thank you for sharing your views on Gambian music with our readers.

Senamie: You are always welcome.

 END