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Momodou
Denmark
11840 Posts |
 Posted - 10 Feb 2007 : 15:18:19
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HOME IS WHERE THE MUSIC IS
This is a continuation of Ousman Sillah’s interview with the renowned Gambian International Music Promoter, Momodou Oko Drammeh. As Oko reminisces the past glory days of music in The Gambia, he was asked about how to revive Gambian music to become a force to be reckoned with.
We hope readers are enjoying Oko’s account of “those days” which is so interesting and can have the effect of nostalgia in some of those who witnessed the period.
We stopped at where Oko Drammeh was saying that the Radio and Television have the responsibility to set the tone for our collective national efforts and endeavours to revive Gambian music.
Foroyaa: How can the Radio and Television set the tone? What do you mean?
Oko Drammeh: The Radio and Television have to set the stage for the exposure of the talents, both educated and non-educated. With TV, the education of music and its familiarity and presentation of news flash items will integrate our artists in the economic and cultural prosperity. Through TV programmes, musical education for schools can be presented and contest, called ‘Talent Search’ could also be encouraged.
TV should also encourage senior talents to take part in programmes whereby the nation will be involved in the voting and selection of the stars of tomorrow.
The music that the Gambians listen to nowadays is coming from only one country which is the United States. That music talks about American life and culture and it goes along with violence, extreme abusive conditions and the manifestation of jail life in both image and outfit. This stereotype does not match the Gambian character of art and music. You see every society has a character and it is this character that defines your music and art. As Haile Selassie put it: “A people without culture is like a tree without roots”. And you know a tree without roots cannot bear fruits.
This is exactly what I mean by imitation music.
In American Rap music there is not much cultural expression and depth of history and empires, as well as, holy sites and sacred grounds. And yet they want to conduct the spiritual anthem of the planet.
The fact that we consume too much of American news from CNN, MTV, VOA etc, does not necessarily mean that we have to change our music and our culture to replace them with theirs.
Foroyaa: How can you fit in the Super Eagles in this wider cultural realm and amidst these external cultural influences?
Oko Drammeh: the Super Eagles have been there before and that’s how they decided to call themselves the ‘Ifang Bond; meaning in Mandinka ‘Bring out your true self. The concern was to showcase or project our true cultural identity.
The art of poetry writing and music making is an interesting subject and hobby that have transformed into art form music. Many Rap artists have carved out a lifestyle that is either backed by the record companies and fashion houses. It is the fashion icons who will endorse these artists and create these rap stars as daily items of consumption.
The way you cannot deny the existence of Coca cola is the same way you cannot deny the existence of Rap music. Rap artist are identified, coached and projected within a framework of money that guarantee immediate success which is manipulated through Television.
This is what makes success an illusion.
Oko Drammeh: The question I was talking about is whether the music can be revived to spark in the society. I said that this is not possible unless this generation continues for at least ten or fifteen years. Because when Youssou Ndour started, the songs he used to sing like: “woy na la” or I sing about you is different from what he says about Nelson Mandela because he has a succession and had developed layers and layers of experience. He knows how to use the words, he knows how to be political, how to be diplomatic, and how to reach a diverse and wide spectrum of society with ease and discipline. So these are all that made his success formidable. He’s not just a voice, but through experience he can maneuver his way through the child, the woman, the man, the marabout, the bishop, etc. We do not have the foundation anymore for this.
It was only Super Eagles, like I told you, when they used to travel abroad or would return from these trips when you see everybody standing in the streets welcoming or bidding them farewell. That was the time when they were singing “Ya Marie tagu negn la ah nyu nga wori rew” a farewell song. Every Gambian was involved and when they returned from England the whole town was out to either cheer up or be part of the, somewhat, caravan like procession. My own late mother could not even understand why I had to take my new dress and paint “Welcome Super Eagles Band” on it. Every child, every young woman was out even if they don’t understand the music that these great guys were playing.
So you wanna tell me: can we bring this back again? Of course I can help bring this back again. I have the formula. I have been coached by the people who had this success. They taught me what they did; they taught me how they did it. Sadly, many of them died, but I am still left with some few people whom together we can do the trick! Badou Jobe, Seneme Taylor, Abdel Kabirr-Lie Ngrm, Musa Ngum, Bai Janha, Ousu Njie Senor, some, members of “ Maga Dan Band” are all here. These are professional musicians who can teach, who can bring back the glory in the music and take Gambian music to again ascend and reach the stage of international acclaim.
But remember 1981 was the big turning point.
Music was abandoned in The Gambia. Like I told you, when the coup d’etat occurred, youths were out in the streets jumping which made the authorities of the day to think that they were behind it. They arrested people like Pa Touray because he used to sing songs like “Prices are rising”. Infact, before this event, the Ifang Bondi used to sing songs that made the government very edgy and which led to the withdrawal of the land they gave them to build a recording studio at Tobacco road in Banjul.
The government started to break up with the band which was not loyal to it.
They were singing radical songs, freedom and Pan –Africanist songs, songs like ‘Change the System’ which, although, came very lately.
They were in conflict with the police very often, because they say their attitude is this and that, that they smoke explicit substances, and stuff like that. They would be arrested here and there that would evoke public outcry. Hence 1981 marked the crackdown. They stopped the music and even the football. The bars, discos and night clubs were all closed. My disco at ‘Tropical’ called the ‘Japala’ was even damaged by the police and I was locked in jail ha ha ha——I was locked in jail with Nyang’a Sallah, a famous footballer, who was with me the night before playing DJ at my discoteque. Unfortunately, he died in jail together with many of my friends. I was even announced dead but fortunately, I survived. But when I came out from jail I saw that everybody scattered, but we did not call it running away. We made a retreat. Guelewarr went to Ivory Coast with Bai Janha there and they took Albert along.
Ifang Bondi didn’t have much money then so only four of them could escape at one time. They came to Holland with me and I continued my management.
Very sincerely and humbly they started to direct me again, their Manager, by telling me: ‘Oko do this, Oko do that!’ so they directed me to do a festival like the ‘Hawarehs’ or Evening Jams that I used to organise back in The Gambia at the Tropical Night Club. They told me to bring back the ‘Hawareh’ again. So I brought back the ‘Hawareh’ but this time round it was on an international level. I brought Manu Dibango, the biggest African star. Later Alpha Blondy, Lucky Dube, Mory Kanteh, all these stars are my friends, and have all been part of these festivals.
I am the only African in the music world who organises professional African music festivals and I can organise them cheap with quality and extensive media coverage.
I was the first one who invited Youssou Ndour to perform in the paradis which is the biggest concert hall in Holland.
Paradis is where Leg Zaplia and the Rolling Stones play when to come to Amsterdam. I took Youssou Ndour there, wow! From there he went to England where he got connected straight with Peter Gabriel. This is all my connection.
Now during the rebellion, Pa Touray and myself were locked up in jail and this made him so distraught as he felt humiliated. We were charged with treason but later pardoned by former president Jawara and were released the same day.
After the release, I realised that I have to use Ifang Bondi as my job because I almost lost my life in it and I believed what they stood for. They were almost the newspaper of the ghetto. They were loved by people who have no jobs, loved by all ethnic groups because they played in every major town and had songs in all the major languages in the country.
Infact, Banjul was difficult for them as they lost their land and houses. We all moved out of Banjul except Paps Touray.
People may recall the ‘Kaylebase Kunda’, the ‘Nyepeto Kunda,’ in Bakau.
In those glory days, the Ifang Bondi used to fill stadiums in Senegal. At one time we played for the ‘Armee’ National du Senegal’ or Senegalese National Army. They came to collect us with a Bus from Barra and escorted to Dakar. Interestingly, the Army colonel came and say: I want to know the members of the band who smoke weed! we didn’t know that he had something for us because he told us nothing. We thought that he wanted to trap us. So we told him ‘we never heard this word’, we told him ‘we are all Muslims’. Ha ha ha.. I saw Paps Touray with his heavy voice” No, we don’t know that’, You know his voice. Then the officer told us that I am just telling you this because we’ve brought something for you so that you’ll not be going around town looking for it”. He said “then I’m sitting in front of the bus, now if you need it let me know’ (laughter)We were sitting on the bus to Dakar but I know they’ll ask him, they are brave. We were sitting, we were sitting going to Dakar and as soon as we got near to Dakar, Pa Njie Base intervened and perfected the story. He said “Commissaire, I do smoke that but only when I mixed it with cigarette”. The officer understood but kept silent.
Later Paps, you know he was dignified, chipped in and said, “yeah, with cigarettes, with cigarettes”. (laughter).
Our Success was held at bay by the 1981 events as Pa Njie ‘bass’ was gunned down and few years later Ali Warb ‘Alberr’ was dead.
But with all these setbacks, the individual successes they achieved were so high that one of them Malang Gassama, the drummer, was in Hollywood. Malando did not only play with ABBA but with Rolling Stones and Aljaru, as well. He was more known with the famous Jazz Artist, Aljaru.
Paps Touray’s compositions with the Sotokoto Band were also widely acclaimed. Sotokoto hires the top musicians in Hollywood because its partners are rich people and are always there to support because they love Gambian music.
We are even planning something for the next year.
I’ve just stopped recording for the moment because I am busy with other things. I just stopped doing the heavy things to be successful. Now I’m tired of seeing success.
I’m more relaxed now and down to earth and trying to experience the details which were missed when one is growing fast.
I said there is no place in the world than where one was born.
Foroyaa: Do you know how the Super Eagles learned playing this imitation music?
Oko Drammeh: Super Eagles was formed playing musical skills and chords like the European Pop artists. You remember Gambia was a British colony and the Ocean going vessel called Apapa used to come from London to the West African colony ports of Bathurst, Freetown, Accra Lagos and back. So this made The Gambia as the first and last Port of call and we got all these music from the seamen. We also used to get the magazines called the ‘Fabulous 208’ or the’ Fab,’ the books of the Beatles and also a group called the Monkeys. We would study and copy the songs and sell them to other people to make money.
The knowledge of music education was here. The Banjul of those days was well organised. The tailors were thriving as the Super Eagles and their fans were always coming up new dress styles and outfits that match the times. Men treat there women partners with respect and dignity. There was real social harmony and cohesion.
Follow us in our next Foroyaa issue for the last part of the interview.
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No. 016/2007, 9-11 February, 2007
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