Release of our new short film – Balafon Origins

In the winter of 2021/22 our Artistic Director, N’famady Kouyaté, travelled to his homeland of Guinea on an R&D trip supported by Wales Arts International’s International Opportunities Fund (IOF) to research the tradition of the balafon and its story, which is so central to the Mandingue folkloric canon.  In partnership with Conakry based theatre company Uni Arts et Culture, and its director Lamine Diabaté, N’famady explored creating a collaborative piece incorporating storytelling, music, and dance, with an initial sharing in the gardens at the Onomo Hotel in Conakry (clips of which are included in the film below).

The short film produced by the project gives a snapshot of a trip that documented balafon making, meetings with elders, and balafon playing in different settings. Go to our project page to discover the enchanting story of Balla Fassèké Kouyaté as told by the djeli for centuries:

https://successorsotm.wpenginepowered.com/book-us/projects/balafon-origins/