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Triumph over taboo

The Amazones, a troupe of female percussionists, are revolutionary in t= hat the traditional players of Guinea's djembe were always men

CHARLIE FIDELMAN, The Gazette

Published: Thursday, July 20 2= 006

Guinean master percussionists the Amazones are musical warriors forging a revolutionary path of their own.

Weaving a matrix of fiery heart-pounding rhythms, melodies and choreographies, the Amazones will be kicking ass tonight when they take to = the stage at Le National as part of Nuits d'Afrique's Grands evenements series.

These extraordinary drummers, named for the intrepid warrior women of the ancient kingdom of Dahomey, now called= Benin, = have been playing at festivals around the world. They've garnered passionate rev= iews along the way.

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"It's incredible. Shocking. Electrifying. But you'll want to see for yourself," Amazones founding director Mamou= dou Conde said in a telephone interview.

But few are aware of the massive cultural taboos that members of the Amazones troupe had to break before even approaching, let alone mastering, = the traditional drum called the djembe.<= /p>

For centuries, players of the sacred West African d= jembe have been exclusively men. Used to tell stories and communicate between villages, the djembe is also considered a heali= ng, magical instrument that in the hands of a great djembe= fola, or master drummer, has the power to transport listeners into other states.<= o:p>

Among the most celebrated djembefolas are the world-renowned Les Percussions de Guinee, also managed by Conde.

The Amazones date back to 1998, when Conde h= ad seven master drummers of Les Percussions begin training a "sister" troupe. Today, they play better than some of the men, he said.

"But why shouldn't women be messing with= the drum?" Conde recalled wondering.

Women are taking drumming and dancing lessons everywhere in the world ex= cept for Guinea, "where djembe started," he said.=

With support from Guinea's ministry of culture, Conde went looking for can= didates among the inner cities, especially the jobless and the homeless.=

"I wanted desperate women with no hope, close to being on the stree= t, single mothers that had no way of feeding their children," he said. "I wanted to give them hope."

They had to prove their skills, but it wasn't easy getting started. Never before had a woman played the djembe in Guinea,= and they suffered rejection. Some had their costumes burnt. Many practised in hiding. Rehearsals became spectacles with people gaping at these would-be musicians attempting to play an instrument reserved for men.

"But after the first tour (some of the women's) parents contacted me and thanked me for helping their girls," Conde said. Many of the Amazones have since realized an "impossible dream,&q= uot; buying homes for themselves and their families with money earned through th= eir music. "They can live by the sweat of their own brow," Conde said.

If the Amazones have since risen to iconic status in their homeland, the= y're also en route to rehabilitating the culture.

Women as primary caregivers are responsible for educating their children= and will now be passing on age-old musical traditions at risk of extinction.

Tonight's show will include two male performers from Les Percussions. But with this groundbreaking troupe of female musicians, the men will definitel= y be in the background.

"The women rule," Conde said. &quo= t;And at one point during the show, the women let (the men) know that the stage belongs to them."

The Amazones perform tonight at 8:30 at Le National, 1220 Ste. Catherine St. E. Call 514-790-1245.

cfidelman@thegazette.canwest.com

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Triumph over taboo

The Amazones, a troupe of female percussionists, are revolutionary in t= hat the traditional players of Guinea's djembe were always men

CHARLIE FIDELMAN, The Gazette

© The Gazette (Montre= al) 2006