A bit about me.

[ndama]

Hi all. I'm an English player + teacher partnered with a v talented Guinean. Live in Brighton. I play mostly djembe + dun but some balafon + gongo also. Been playing about 10 years now. We teach a regular class on a monday night in Lewes (East Sussex) and monthly day workshops in the sussex area, but also travel around doing workshops in African music & dance + selling instruments. you can check us out on our website-in-process http://www.handsonskin-drumming.co.uk. We travel to either the Gambia or Guinea at least once yearly to learn new material + see our friends + family. Hoping to start running musical/dance trips to W Africa soon.
Big dreams are more bridges between England & w Africa: to build a workshop for our drum makers in The Gambia, buy some wooded land in Guinea to put back some of the trees we've taken out over the years, a 'soup kitchen' for some of our musician friends working in the Gambia (so they can eat before they play rather then after if they earn enough), general help for as many of our mates + their kids as poss, a formal sponsorship scheme 4 kids education, more linking of schools etc.. Would also love to bring some of our friends over here to play, especially our balafon teacher who is AMAZINGLY talented + who i want everyone to hear. Oh + would love a place of our own built on eco principals...
Other than that have feet firmly on the ground.
Happy to help with enquiries about drumming/drum reskin & repair/bala/gongo/bolon/dance+ general cultural stuff. Trying 2 get some of our video + audio stuff organised into useful teaching rescources. We have contacts in Guinea + Gambia if people need them, a spare room in Brighton if people want/need to stay over...

[johnc]

enjoyed the read and the website