BURKINA-FASO
Birifor - Dagari - Gan - Lobi – Musiques du Pays Lobi – Ocora – OCR 51, recorded in 1961 by Charles Duvelle, released in 1970 (LP)
.jpg "MusicRepublic – BURKINA-FASO Birifor - Dagari - Gan - Lobi – Musiques du Pays Lobi – Ocora – OCR 51")
This precious musical panorama, released on Ocora’s legendary first series, was recorded in 1961 by Charles Duvelle** in Burkina-Faso’s Southwestern Pays Lobi region, which borders Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. In addition to Lobi music on Side A, the album highlights the music of the Gan (B1, B2), Dagari (or Dagara) (B3, B4), and Birifor (B5, B6) peoples, who share linguistic and cultural affinities while maintaining their own strong identities and vibrant traditions. The Dagara people, for example, are reputed to be the most mystical ethnic/cultural group in Burkina-Faso, with traditions deeply connected to the ancestors and the spirit world through myths, symbols, rituals, divination, music and dance. In the words of Malidoma Patrice Somé (1956-2021), “In the culture of my people, the Dagara, we have no word for the supernatural. The spirit world is as real as the physical world.”*
These recordings capture music played in various contexts, including festivities (A1, A3), a funeral (A2), a harvest song (B4), a love song (B1), a millet grinding song (B3), dancing (B2), storytelling (B5) and more.
The album features the region’s famous xylophones, aka balaphons, (A1, A2, A3, B4), female vocals (A4, B2, B3), male vocals (A1, B1, B4, B5, B6), a six-string forked salan harp with calabash resonator (B6), a kankarma mouthbow (B1), two-hole tira whistles (B2), bili drums (A1) bambam drum (A2), kettledrums (A3, B5), koli drums (B5), diallé drums (B3), koso, brindé and gbembémié drums (B2), rattles (A3, B2), metal sticks (B2), metallophones (A1) and pira metal rings (B4).
Ce précieux panorama musical, paru dans la légendaire première série Ocora, a été enregistré en 1961 par Charles Duvelle** dans la région du pays lobi, au sud-ouest du Burkina Faso, près de la frontière du Ghana et de la Côte d'Ivoire. Outre la musique lobi, cet album présente également les musiques des peuples gan (B1 et B2), dagari (ou dagara) (B3 et B4) et birifor (B5 et B6). Ces groupes partagent des affinités linguistiques et culturelles tout en conservant leurs identités propres et leurs riches traditions ancestrales. Le peuple dagara, par exemple, est réputé pour être le groupe ethnique/culturel le plus mystique du Burkina Faso, avec des traditions profondément ancrées dans le culte des ancêtres et le monde des esprits, à travers les mythes, les symboles, les rituels, la divination, la musique et la danse. Selon Malidoma Patrice Somé, « dans ma culture dagara, nous n'avons pas de mot pour désigner le surnaturel. Pour nous, le monde des esprits est aussi réel que le monde physique. »*
Ces musiques sont jouées dans divers contextes, notamment lors de festivités (A1, A3), d'un enterrement (A2), d'un chant de moisson (B4), d'une chanson d'amour (B1), d'un chant pour moudre le mil (B3), d’une danse (B2), et d’un récit (B5).
L'album présente les célèbres xylophones (ou balafons) de la région (A1, A2, A3, B4), des voix féminines (A4, B2, B3), des voix masculines (A1, B1, B4, B5, B6), une harpe fourchue salan à six cordes avec un résonateur en calebasse (B6), un arc à bouche kankarma (B1), des sifflets tira à deux trous (B2), des tambours bili (A1), un tambour bambam (A2), des timbales (A3, B5), des tambours koli (B5), des tambours diallé (B3), des tambours koso, brindé et gbembémié (B2), ainsi que des hochets (A3, B2) et des baguettes métalliques (B2), des métallophones (A1) et des anneaux métalliques pira (B4).
*Of Water and the Spirit: Ritual, Magic, and Initiation in the Life of an African Shaman by Malidoma Patrice Somé, Putnam, 1994.
LOBI PEOPLE
A1 –
Vocals by Sihiré Palé, a male chorus, a 14-bar elong xylophone, kpakpa tioro metallophones and two small bili drums;
Recorded in Gaoua, March 18, 1961.
A2 –
Elong xylophone by Sié Sib and unknown bambam drum;
Recorded in Gaoua, March 18, 1961.
A3 –
Five dancers with knee-high wérin rattles accompanied by an ensemble including two elong xylophones by Batiouté Palé & Youlbounté Youl and kettledrums by Dité Kambou & Sié Kambou;
Recorded in Gaoua, March 19, 1961.
A4 –
Vocals by Temani Palé and a female chorus;
Recorded in Gaoua, March 19, 1961.
GAN PEOPLE
B1 –
Vocals and kankarma mouthbow by Diotouré Hièn;
Recorded in Loropéni, March 21, 1961.
B2 – Samargua Dance
Female vocals ensemble, three two-hole tira whistles, a niabara rattle, boyo metal sticks, and koso, brindé and gbembémié drums – Unknown Artist
Recorded in Loropéni, March 21, 1961.
DAGARI PEOPLE
B3 – Millet Grinding Song
Vocals sung by a woman, while grinding millet;
Recorded in Nako, March 20, 1961.
B4 –
Group of men sing and dance, accompanied by pira metal rings, two 14-bar djil xylophones by Hilé Kambou & Zoumé Hièn (groaning), two spherical kouor kettledrums and two small single-headed diallé drums;
Recorded in Boukor, March 20, 1961.
BIRIFOR PEOPLE
B5 – Sung Story
Vocals and small bell by Lampaté Kambou, accompanied by a male chorus, a kouor kettledrum and two koli drums;
Recorded in Gaoua, March 19, 1961.
B6 –
Vocals and six-string salan harp with calabash resonator;
Recorded in Gaoua, March 19, 1961.
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** Ethnomusicologist Charles Duvelle (1937-2017) was a formidable champion of traditional music who greatly contributed to the preservation of a disappearing world in our age of globalization, when the rich diversity of our past is quickly being erased and forgotten.
Raised in Indochina, Duvelle was an accomplished classical pianist with a great ear who reveled in new forms of music, like Jazz. He made his indelible mark as general editor of the French label Ocora, whose many remarkable recordings had a qualitative impact that’s impossible to overstate. Showcasing the complexity, diversity, and sometimes high level of abstraction of traditional music, such luminaries as David Byrne, Brian Eno and countless Jazz musicians have readily acknowledged the influence of these seminal LPs on their music and for opening new musical vistas.
My other music posts from Burkina-Faso and more:
Les Trésors du Faso – Musique Traditionnelle Vol. 1 here
Haute Volta – Ocora – SOR 10 here
Ghana – Ceremonial and Commemorative Music (Lobi track) here
Le Larlé-Naaba et sa Troupe Folklorique – Les Trésors du Mogho – Disques CVD 003 here
Le Larlé-Naaba et sa Troupe Folklorique – Les Trésors du Mogho – Disques CVD 007 here
Compil du Salou Traditionnel Burkinabé Vol. 1 - KA 00134 here
El Hadji Hamado Kanazoe - Maitre Coranique Secteur 19 Vol. 1 here
El Hadji Hamado Kanazoe - Maitre Coranique Secteur 19 Vol. 6 here
Photographs below are from Whispering Woods. The Great Lobi Statuary, from the François & Marie Christiaens Collection, published by Serge Schoffel, 2016:
Young Lobi boy wearing cowrie shells and a feather headdress for the septennial jòrò initiation rite, Batié-Gaoua region, Burkina Faso:
A group of Lobi hunters who are initiates of the Bâba cult notably wearing komé ivory pendants and half-calabash baba gnounkpour caps:
Protective Lobi Altar of the Bouroum-Bouroum Market,
Poni province, Burkina-Faso:
Male Lobi figure, 78 cm:
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