"When Mamady was born he cried very, very hard." "His father was worried." "A stranger came from across the river, a hunter." "He told the father not to worry, that Mamady saw a great future ahead of him, and that was why he cried." "His father shouldn't worry, his name would become well-known in many far-off lands, and his name would be heard." "I've shown you the three sounds of the djembe." "hat is, tin, tan, doum..." "So when I say 1, it's "tan!", on 2 it's "tin!"" "and on 3 it's "doum!"." "Together, together, together!" "My name is Mamady Keita, last name Keita, first name Mamady." "I was born in Balandugu, Guinea, a small village in Mandinka country." "When my parents saw I drummed on everything, they said, "my son you'll be a Djembefola"." "Djembefola is a djembeplayer, someone who makes the djembe speak." "See?" "It's from here!" "This is where you strike." "You do it with your fingertips." "Don't hit the wood." "Don't lean on it." "It should be quick as a wink." "Look!" "Again!" "No, that's wrong." "Again!" "You added on again." "It's coutoutatata... not coutacoutoutou." "That's backwards!" "Again!" "There!" "Good!" "Let's see if you can do it again." "I've lived and worked in Brussels for 3 years." "After President Sekou Toure's death, many performers left Guinea." "I earned very little there, in Europe, I live well with my wife and daughter." "But I often miss Guinea, the smells, the joy, my friends... my life there." "Today, I'm returning to Conakry." "It's been long!" "I had too much work." "Welcome!" "Thank you!" "We used to practice at the President's palace now we practice here." "It's our "paillotte"." "You've changed "The Source" ?" "Yes, completely." "You've been away for 6 years..." "A long time." "But don't worry." "we'll help you." "You changed it all?" "Especially "Sansornet" and "The Forest"." "Hurry, get changed." "We're starting." "O.K. but this time..." "I'll kill you!" "I'll cut your throat!" "You know me!" "You know me, I'll cut your throat!" "We'll see... I worked in the Djoliba Ballet for 22 years." "The best performers in Guinea dancers, singers, drummers, were recruited for the Ballet." "I never worry about my solos, with them." "They never miss a beat, they're strong, and joyful!" "That's the difference between Guinean and" "European percussionists." "I can wander in my solos with them." "Malinke rhythms all have meanings." "There are over 300 rhythms, so you have to be born into it." "The man is back!" "We haven't seen him or worked together since '86, but today we started up... and something just happened." "Without looking at each other, he turned around, and I knew" "how he would start and finish." "O.K., you already know the beginning." "I told you I'd break you and I've done it today." "You haven't broken me." "You're all against me!" "There's no contradiction." "I won." "Who won?" "Between the two of you?" "Anyway I won." "Good evening!" "Tonight's performance is special the Djoliba Ballet is playing with Mamady Keita" "back from Europe after 6 years." "Good evening and on with the show!" "The ballet was" "Guinea's ambassador to the world." "Around 1964-65" "Sekou Toure built a stage in the President's Palace for our rehearsals." "We practiced, we did everything in his home." "He was our father, we were his children." "We were robots, drugged by our revolutionary fervour." "We all considered ourselves true revolutionaries." "We couldn't imagine quitting the Ballet, it would have been betrayal of the Nation and Revolution." "O.K. let's hurry up!" "Who is this for?" "I left the village 26 years ago." "Put them there." "Better underneath." "Hurry, we're leaving!" "That's for the Imam." "This is for praying." "O.K., have you finished?" "Careful!" "My djembe!" "Too many tom-toms at the village." "But there are some djembes." "I can't, I can't..." "You're a pain in the neck!" ""Djembe, djembe!"" "Tie it carefully!" "Don't turn it over!" "Enough with your djembe!" "They don't know djembes." "I don't get it, I saw too many djembes at the village." "They told me there were too many." "There's nothing in there." "Don't damage it!" "Be very careful with the things." "Drive slowly so we arrive O.K." "Just be careful." "The bicycle!" "Not just your bike, my djembe is in there!" "You're worried about your bike but be careful of my djembe." "We can worry about the bike later." "But I told you that a bicycle is like a Mercedes out there!" "What's a djembe ?" "If you want to marry a woman there, you need a bicycle!" "So, I'll marry them with my djembe!" "Conakry was the first stop," "I saw all my friends and artists, but today my real trip begins." "I'll travel across Guinea to Balandugu the village where I was born." "I haven't seen them all in 26 years !" "Mamady, get out!" "Is that mixture for motorbikes ?" "Yes, it's oil and gas mixed together." "You put the gas in there." "Write me a bill for 20 litres." "10...15...16,000." "Write up the bill." "No paper." "I can't believe it!" "We ask for the bill, you ask for paper!" "A bad salesman..." "I give him a woman... and he asks me for the bed!" "You're hopeless!" "I manage fine!" "Right, you're an apprentice!" "You have to sign." "Where?" "Wherever you like!" "Finished?" "Can we take the table?" "Lift it please." "Thank you!" "The trip will be very long but I'm returning to my roots." "When I say 1,2,3,4, you start playing loudly." "Make the djembe ring out!" "1,2,3,4" "There aren't any drumming schools here, children learn by watching master drummers play." "Famoudou's hand is so clean, his sound is so pure, that I wondered if I'd ever be able to play like him." "Well, I'll be...!" "It's incredible!" "How are you?" "Very well." "You play with children?" "They're mine." "He's Mamady Keita!" "Like me?" "You're a Djembefola?" "He plays by instinct." "You've worked well." "He's your namesake and he lives in Europe." "He's called Mamady Keita like you, and you'll become like him, O.K.?" "Come here!" "Do what I do." "Play what he plays." "When I saw little Mamady play, I saw myself at that age... like a photograph." "In my village, I was called "Nan Nkama"" ""Nan Nkama" means, "born for it"," "I did Senessounian in my village when I was 8." "Senessounian is to help people who can't farm their land." "If you're old or sick, the young people will plow your fields." "Whatever the occasion: baptism, marriage, circumcision or farming, the djembe is always present." "Here, we help each other out, we work together." "Good will is more important than money!" "Whatever we do, we do it joyfully." "Thank you all!" "It's a real chicken sacrifice!" "How long since you took the ferry?" "I don't know, at least 26 years, or maybe 25." "You've really become a foreigner!" "You see this?" "We call it konkon." "So that's konkon?" "Yes, the Soussous call it konko." "It's tasty!" "You can't find this in France or in Belgium!" "It's raw vitamins!" "Do you call it vitamin A or B?" "Or B, A and C?" " It's multivitamins!" " Right!" "Siguiri is a big town, the capital of my province." "I was 12 at the time, and played in the regional Ballet." "The recruiters came to the village looking for performers." "Balanka Sidiki came to Balandugu." "Moussa tells me he's old but still living." "Today I'll see Balanka Sidiki again." "Who's that?" "It can't be!" "Moussa!" "Here's your son." "I've brought him from Conakry." "No, wait, Mamady, wait!" "I can't wait!" "No, Mamady!" "I thank you." "If I see Mamady..." "You're with him..." "Understand that I'm responsible to his family in Balandugu." "How many years now since we last saw Mamady?" "Since 1963." "I'm responsible to his family!" "The family says he's dead, I say he's alive!" "Mamady should know that his family is upset, and they're right!" "He's living and we don't see him, is that good?" "No, no." "But calm down!" "I'm here now!" "Wait, Mamady, you'll talk later!" "From 1963 until now..." "Wait 'til I've finished!" "Be quiet, Mamady." "He's angry, so let him speak." "I told you your father is angry." "I wasn't happy." "I was very surprised to see him." "I try to convince the family that Mamady's still alive but I'm not sure myself!" "I'm responsible." "I want them to believe me." "Calm down!" "You entrusted Mamady to me and I was his father from Conakry to Europe." "I saw how worried you were." "That's why I've brought Mamady here to you so you can take him to his family for a reconciliation." "You're right, I agree with you, but calm down." "Mamady isn't dead, he's here in your hand today." "You're right to say what you said, but here he is," "I brought him back in good health." "Now you must take him back to his family in good health." "That's all I have to say..." "You're absolutely right but just calm down." "Alright, I don't wish to be ungrateful since Mamady is here today." "I left him in your care and you've brought him back." "It proves you're a worthy son." "You are a Keita like Mamady." "The way you've brought him back pleases me." "I could be angry but enough, all's well that ends well." "Yes, it's time for the greeting." "Come, it's over." "I'm overwhelmed by your arrival." "It's the first federal ballet of Siguiri." "You were the star, but you're not there, you were backstage." "Do you see Nora Fatima?" "She was a star..." "Is that Soli?" "Yes, but some girls aren't there anymore." "That's Dabo, she left the ballet." "Some of them are getting old!" "That's Koumba!" "You're joking!" "How many years have you been away?" "These are all your companions-in-art." "It's been 26 years." "You should still recognize them!" "That's you." "Yes." "You look young!" "I've forgotten who this is..." "Founess, Morassouba... of Zengakoro." "That's Dijibani." "And Foussini." " I remember." " That's Sekou." "They're all famous people today." "Many are there." "That's the National Cultural Festival of the Guinean Republic." "Revolution...ary." "The People's Revolutionary Republic of Guinea, that's the old days!" "Read this." "Citation from President Ahmed Sekou Toure" "That's it." "Hey, that's me!" "There's Mamady see?" "You weren't too happy at first." "That's the Djoliba Ballet, and this is me!" "That's Josephine..." "You were the king, you're still the king." "You've been the king of drummers." "The other's feet are on the ground, you're up high." "In those days, the ballets weren't our idea, or our parents'" "We worked because we had to, for the revolution." "The official greeting was "Ready for the Revolution!"" "The reply, "And its demands!"" "The demands might well be your son or daughter, the revolution chose, not the parents!" "I remember." "That wall is new." "Yes." "We used to practice here." "I remember." "The training was very hard, you had to be there at 5 A.M." "unless you were really sick." "The directors..." "The drummers were on the left." "Balanka Sidiki was terrible, he gave 50 lashes for the slightest reason." "We formed a delegation to tell the governor that he was too tough." "The delegation was immediately arrested and handcuffed, and the rest of the troupe was thrown in jail!" "You know, you really tortured us." "You were mean!" "It was to help you learn." "Those who aren't artists... lots of young people... the girls keep getting sick, headaches." "Real performers aren't lazy." "They were trained." "You were clever, you made us run, and run, and meanwhile you sat and waited for us." "You should have run with us." "But our duty was to develop the national spirit." "Like the army!" "Yes, like the army." "Have you ever seen a Lieutenant run?" "Or a Captain or a Colonel..." " Running?" " No, never!" "It was terribly hard, but if the revolution hadn't taken me from the village." "I'd still be scratching the earth with my brothers." "After crossing the Bafine we're almost there." "I wonder if it has changed." "I want to see the place I was born, where I played my little djembe." "My mother and father have died." "Today I'll see my brothers, my sister, and all my friends." "God be praised, my brother has returned!" "Calm down!" "Calm down or you'll get sick!" "We thought you'd never come back!" "And my brother Konson..." "If you don't calm down I'm going to get angry!" "You calm down or no-one else will." "Look at this crowd, calm down, that's an order!" "Stop crying, it's time to be happy!" "Think of those who died without seeing you again." "You were very young when you left." "We're happy to see you again." "Even if we cry at first, when we've dried our tears, we stop crying." "You see us all in good health." "Your mother was faithful!" "She raised her children honorably." "Her reputation extends throughout the region." "Your father was brave." "He hunted the devil, the bird and the horse." "He did it for his family." "For a better fate." "Your father did that." "You take after your father." "You traveled around the world with dignity and respect." "You put the government to shame." "And now you bring us the fruit of your travels." "We never had a jeep here before, and you bring one today." "God protect you from evil!" "You drive a big machine, but it's dangerous!" "God protect you from its danger!" "God grant you a long life!" "I'll stop because the crowd is impatient." "Glory to you... grandson of the Mandinka king!" "All men are not equal..." "Not just anyone can travel the world and return to the village to share with his family." "Welcome to you!" "Thank you!" "I recognize him!" "How are you?" "Welcome!" "Guess..." "Don't tell him..." "It's Djene Fanta!" "Mamady's back!" "The spells failed!" "My brother, I'd like you to tell me how I became a drummer and tell me how I was born." "I would like to know all this." "I'm honored but drumming is in your blood," "I can't explain it." "You cried so hard at birth that father was very worried." "He went to see a witch-doctor." "The prediction was reassuring:" "it was the sign of a great future for you." "The whole village would live in the shadow of your fame." "For this to happen he had to sacrifice a ram and not worry." "Your hand was placed on it and the ram was sacrificed." "I understand but there's something else:" "I want to know the mystery of my hands." "I don't understand why my hands don't hurt when I play." "They don't get stiff." "No one can explain it." "Do you know anything about this?" "I don't know at all," "I was far too young." "What I know is that you played incredibly well at the time." "I took you to Uncle Karinkadian, who was an old Djembefola." "He agreed to initiate you." "He got a certain plant and washed your hands with its juice." "That's what he did." "You were very young." "He kept his secret." "One day I asked where the plant was from, he said it came from across the river." "But if God wills you will play without pain or fatigue." "My life would be impossible without djembe." "Since I could count to 4... the only thing I know is djembe, the only thing I do is djembe." "Thanks to a piece of wood and a goatskin, I have a better life today." "I know God made me to be a Djembefola." ""Drum of skin, fulfill my desires... carry me, over the earth of darkness... carry me like the wind over tree tops!""