Music & Concerts – Sivu 11

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KAKA

KAKA-KAKA. Félicitations !! félicitations !! is the single french word pronounced by a great audience to congratulate Janne Storm, Felix Agossou and Gabriel Teiko, three resident artists in Villa Karo who performed wonderfully on the stage of the French Cultural Centre in Cotonou on Friday 30th September.

They preceded the main event of the night LA NUIT DE LA PAROLE by association KATOULATI. Same scenario took place in Grand-Popo on the red terrace stage of Villa Karo the following day 1st of October 2011. Backed by young artists from Comé, Janne Storm and his African Stipendiates presented a great concert, this time preceded by the group KATOULATI with stories recited by griots from Togo, Burkina Faso and Republic of Benin. These kind of stories told by grand parents during our infancy just to keep them company on full moon nights.

An hour session by Janne and his group was so that the audience amazingly fell in love with them. They played all kinds of music including KAKA, a rythm that sent the whole audience back to the root of their tradition with incredible demonstration of feet taping and chest druming that provocated great joy. Traditionally, KAKA is played to wake up adepts of all kinds of religion from their slumber to shake off the devil. It is danced in a way that even the disabled ones can be part of the game.

« Incroyable mais vrai », it was totally unbelievable even to me that Janne Storm understood and played KAKA to the surprise of all. IT IS VERY INPORTANT TO AIM HIGH TO AVOID ACHIEVING VERY LOW.

Janne did exactly that.

KtL

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World Music System at Feeniks club

Next Thursday (October 6th) is a great occasion for lovers of really good music around Helsinki. Camilla Heidenberg (FINLAND, former scholarhip holder of Villa Karo) and Georges Abgazahou (BENIN) are giving a concert at Feeniks club.
As the artists put it, prepare yourself ”for a soulful mixture of afro, pop, jazz and classical music with piano, vocals, djembe, percussion”.

The group has been performing all over Finland and in France this past summer. As George’s stay in Europe is, for now, coming to it’s end in a few weeks, this will be one the last possibilities to hear their music live in Finland this year. Don’t miss it!

World Music System at

Musiikkitalon klubi, Mannerheimintie 13A

Tursday 6th October at 10pm.

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A Glimpse of Villa Karo and Grand-Popo on YLE Areena

The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (RSO) visited Villa Karo in 2009 to honour the 10th anniversary of the centre by playing a concert for the people of Grand-Popo. The concert was held on the stage of Lissa Gbassa, VK’s exhibition and concert building, by the beach of Grand-Popo. RSO’s eventful trip became the subject of a documentary film (Afrikan sinfonia, directed by Jenni Nyberg, YLE productions).

Also meet the dancing and singing children of Grand-Popo as well as Noël Zaïzonou, a Beninese virtuoso in dance and music. How do they see our western musical tradition?

Click here for a taste of cross-cultural music.

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SEPTEMBER 2011 CONCERT

Between a dream and reality, there seems to be a distance that is never measured but the most important thing is that the dream comes true whatever the distance. Villa Karo dreamt some years ago of having on stage a famous gospel artist. His name Djidjoho Hounkponou. A maraton of negotiation that took weeks finally proved futile with a signature of the renown gospel artist on a two page contract that was signed on the 9th of August 2011. . .

3rd September, preparations were set to receive the artist on stage at 9pm. As early as around 19 hours people from all nook and corners of Grand-Popo, Adjaha, Hillakondji and Comé took to the only unique paved street of Grand-Popo’s keskusta and trooped towards Villa Karo, just to witness their favourite program of Premier Samedi du mois; MONTHLY CONCERT.

Publicities from two local radios and posters intrigued all gospel lovers. Youth, elders and especially children trailed behind their parents to be part of the monthly event, “sans blague”. One could hardly move two steps on the parking lot full of mopeds without trying to avoid body collision with the incoming audience. Djidjoho Hounkponou alias Jonny Sourou is one of the greatest gospel artist in Benin today. Talented from his infancy he got lot of inspiration from music like Afro-beat and Djoudjou from Nigeria, M’bala from Senegal and Laroumba from the Congos.

Pushed by his determination to succeed, he continued struggling despite hard times, he left the storm behind him and imposed his music to the gospel world. At present he is rated second in the Benin musical circus. 9 pm on the dot, Jonny Sourou was welcomed on stage by two lovely and elegantly dressed ladies, Sylvie and Georgette who presented in English, French and Mina for the benefit of all.
Temptation to dance, constantly run through my nerves but I tried to quench my desire with some quick steps at the background responding to the rhythm. Audience without hesitation danced their hearts out with unlimited joy. Villa Karo’s trainee Emilia also cracked, went wild with joy, responded to the invitation of the artist on stage. I hardly recognised my colleague in such a joyous mood.

Soaked from head to toe with popular gospel tunes, the great audience, one of the biggest of all times periodically exploded with great joy, since everything that commences has an end, so was the concert. We parted home fully satisfied.
Concert was great, Audience was great!! everything was great. Chaoo Chaoo till next time.

KtL

Kategoria: Music & Concerts