Daily Archives: 23.6.2013

N’Fanly ”Alya” Camara is a dance, musician and choreographer from Guinea, now living in Helsinki. He got his professional training at the Guinean National Ballet Djoliba. After that he performed in other West African ballets in Senegal, Ivory Coast and the Gambia.

After moving to Europe in 1987, N’Fanly has performed as a dancer and a musician in other types of ensembles as well, e.g. in the bands of pop stars like Salif Keita. He moved to Finland in 1996 and has here worked increasingly as choreographer and a teacher. He is also the artistic director of the dance company Wonuwali.

In Fest Afrika, N’Fanly performs with the band Lanyi that plays traditional music from Guinea, leads family afro in the children’s day program and teaches a workshop of djembe and dundun drumming. The drumming workshop takes place on Fri 2.8. and Sat 3.8.2013 at 16.00 – 17.30. (more…)

Papa Thioune is a musician from Senegal now living in Germany. He is part of a well known family of musicians in Dakar and started therefore playng drums already as a child. Since then, he has performed e.g. as the lead drummer of the Waato Siita dance group and toured Central Europe with the Afrika! Afrika! circus production.

Performance of Waato Siita in the inauguration of the new National Theatre in Dakar, in 2011:

In Fest Afrika Papa will teach sabar drumming and accompany Pape Moussa’s dance classes. The sabar drums are a tradition of the Wolof people. They can be heard at many kinds of events, especially at celebrations where they accompany dancing, but also e.g. at wrestling matches. Even in Senegalese pop music, mbalax, the sabar drums play a central role. (more…)