Workshops

The workshops are at the heart of this intercultural educational Project. Following the sway of the Atlantic Ocean in the historical musical waves between Africa and Mexico we played with children and youth forming a musical dialogue between Mali and the Black coast of Oaxaca. We carried out three workshops with male and female children and youth from Santiago Llano Grande, la Banda, and with professional musicians from Mali and different areas of Mexico. We were in search of fine sounds that gave new life to the musical tradition in this Oaxacan coastal Black population.

Distributing instruments and repertoires from local traditions, a pot, la charrasca, la guacharasca, el cajón, la tarimba, violins, guitars and the bajo quinto (see the description in this section). This was facilitated by the children prior familiarity with local genres such la chilena, el merequetengue, and the son de artesa. In this way a dialogue with Mali musicians began. The two musicians, members of the trio Da Kali, Lassana Diabaté playing on the balafón – an ancestral instrument to the marimba – and singer Hawa Kasse Mady Diabaté were brought over to Mexico by Lucy Duran, specialist in the music from sub sarahran Africa.Read more

The re creation of the traditional music of the Black populations from the coast of Oaxaca and Mali can be exemplified with the pieces that illustrate well the musical dialogue between these two cultures. The song OaxacaO is a creation that takes its melody from the responsorial Mande song Jokori Jokori sung in Spanish. It alludes to the recognition of the afromexican culture as part of the Mexican nation. Inversely the son Entrada is taken from the emblematic Danza de Diablos (Devil Dance) as the harmonic base for the melody Mandé called Angatá (listen to the audios from the workshops in this section).

The project also endeavored to reintroduce and strengthen the presence of musical instruments that had once existed but had since disappeared and those that are now scarce in the region such as the violin, bajo quinto and tarimba. A luthier workshop was carried out to teach how to make local instruments such as the devil pot (bote del Diablo), cajón and tarimba.

Diverse methods were used for the teaching-learning process of music according to the characteristics of each instrument and the pedagogical experience of the teachers. We experimented on an ad hoc basis with the musical scores of local repertoires in a didactic fashion along with the teachers, (those that can use these are welcome to consult this section).

Three workshops of three hours daily sessions were carried out for two and a half weeks closing each workshop with a public concert in the local town.

Workshop 1 October-November 2015

During our first workshop in Llano Grande we worked with the local and Malian repertoire. The music practiced was the Chilena Silencio corazón, el Son del Verso de la Danza de diablos, and the pieces Nana Tribán, Duga, and OaxacaO were composed. These have Malian melodies (listen to the melodies of the two workshops in this section) and they were presented in public concerts in the town at the close of the workshops. Workshops laudería took place during which two botes del diablo, two cajones percutores and two tarimbas or monocordios were constructed. We also donated a balafón to the cultural center of Llano Grande where the youth and children could practice after they were initiated on this Malian instrument during the workshop.

Workshop 2 April 2016

The second workshop was organized with Mexican teachers and we decided to only work with the local repertoire on this occasion (see video clip of the workshop ensemble with la chilena “Silencio Corazón”). We also continued with the laudería workshop putting the skin drums or boxes. Following the first workshop word had spread among the town and about 30 children and youth arrived for this workshop. The workshop of violin and guitar were consequently full. On this occasion we brought two Bajos quintos to the workshop that were subsequently donated to the cultural center but were actually under the responsibility of those who were learning this instrument so they could continue to practice. The two youth who learnt this instrument were particularly able and learnt the bajo quinto quickly (see the video clip of the workshop of the bajo quinto in this section). They were very enthusiastic and proud to know that for the first time in 50 years the bajo quinto was played again on the coast. Heretofore this instrument had been replaced by the guitar and consequently no one had been able to play the bajo quinto. It was an emotional experience for us all to know that we had grown the seed of this music once again thus reviving this instrument among this population.

The repertoire prepared during the workshop and which was played at the closing concert was: la chilena “Silencio Corazón”; “La sandunga nueva”; la chilena “ Ya te dije que no vayas”; el son de artesa “Evento de Negros”; el merequetengue “El poquilín”; and un “Son de diablos”.

Workshop 3 November-December 2016

During this workshop we proposed to work with the children who had learnt the instrument to make a disc of the repertoire learnt during workshops 1 and 2 including the new songs from Mali. We were privileged to be able to prepare the repertoire for a recording of the disc along with Malian balafon player Lassana Diabate singer Hawa Kasse Mady Diabaté, professionals members of the Trio Da Kali (see videos of the Trio Da Kali on Youtube).

We worked intensively under the artistic expert and director Lucy Durán, experienced in the production of graphic recordings of discs. The children made an impressive effort to meet the musical demands of this professional objective. (listen to the sound tracks in the section titles: “Disc”).

"Somos negros de la costa" Documentary

Balafon workshop II

Violin workshop II

Ensemble workshop: silencio corazon

Bajo Quinto workshop II

Bajo Quinto workshop I

Percussion workshop I

Violin workshop I

Balafon workshop I

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"Somos negros de la costa" Documentary

Directed by Sergio Navarrete Coordination of workshops: Sergio Navarrete and Lucy Durán Photography: Gustavo Mora, Bernardo Porraz, Pablo Márquez, Sergio Navarrete, Carlos Ruiz. Edition: Elías Nahmías, Sergio Navarrete and Bernardo Porraz Participating teachers: Lucy Durán, Sergio Navarrete, Lassana Diabaté, Hawa Kasse Madi Diabaté, Rubén Luengas, Edgar Serralde, Pablo Márquez, Rie Watanabe, Omar Durán, Natalia Arroyo, Ignacio Carrillo, Víctor Hugo Laredo Morales, Simitrio Herrera, Juan Morales and Crisógono Prudente.
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Balafon workshop II

First balafon: Lassana Diabate Singer: Hawa Kasse Mady Diabate Second balafon: Omar Duran Bajo quinto: Ruben Luengas Charrasca: Crisogono Prudente Children: Gildebrán Herrera Perez, Francisco Filogonio and Ary Ceylin Lopez Viruel Kulanjan song Photography and edition: Bernardo Porraz Santiago Llano Grande "La Banda" November 2016
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Violin workshop II

Teacher: Rie Watanabe Santiago Llano Grande "La Banda", Santiago Llano Grande, Oaxaca, Mexico April 2016 Photography and edition: Bernardo Porraz
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Ensemble workshop: silencio corazon

Ensemble of the workshop: Chilean "Silencio Corazon" Santiago Llano Grande "La Banda", Santiago Llano Grande, Oaxaca April 2016 Photography and edition: Bernardo Porraz
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Bajo Quinto workshop II

Teacher: Ruben Luengas Research: Sergio Navarrete Pellicer and Ruben Luengas Photo: Bernardo Porraz Edition: Bernardo Porraz and Sergio Navarrete Santiago Llano Grande "La Banda", Santiago Llano Grande, Oaxaca April 2016
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Bajo Quinto workshop I

Teacher: Ruben Luengas El Ciruelo, Pinotepa Nacional, Oaxaca, Mexico Santiago Llano Grande "La Banda", Santiago Llano Grande, Oaxaca, Mexico From the 7th to the 30th of October, 2015 Photography: Gustavo Mora Edition: Bernardo Porraz
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Percussion workshop I

Teacher: Ignacio Carrillo El Ciruelo, Pinotepa Nacional, Oaxaca, Mexico Santiago Llano Grande, Santiago Llano Grande, Oaxaca, Mexico From the 7th to the 30th of October, 2015 Photography: Gustavo Mora Edition: Bernardo Porraz
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Violin workshop I

Teacher: Natalia Arroyo El Ciruelo, Pinotepa Nacional, Oaxaca, Mexico Santiago Llano Grande, Santiago Llano Grande, Oaxaca, Mexico From the 7th to the 30th of October, 2015 Photography: Gustavo Mora Edition: Bernardo Porraz
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Balafon workshop I

Teacher: Fode Lassana Diabate El Ciruelo, Pinotepa Nacional, Oaxaca, Mexico Santiago Llano Grande "La Banda", Santiago Llano Grande, Oaxaca, Mexico From the 7th to the 30th of October, 2015 Photography: Gustavo Mora Edition: Bernardo Porraz

LA TARIMBA

El etnomusicólogo Carlos Ruíz[1] reporta la sobrevivencia de la tarimba en el pueblo de el Potrero en la costa Chica de Oaxaca. El instrumento es un monocordio tensado por dos estacas, a manera de clavijas, enterradas en el suelo y con una batea de madera invertida en el suelo, que sirve de caja de resonancia y sobre la cual pasa la cuerda. Se colocan un par de varas sobre la batea a manera de puente para separar la cuerda de la caja de resonancia y se percute la cuerda con dos baquetas o palos. Durante los talleres Edgar Serralde diseñó una tarimba usando una tabla con dos orificios en sus extremos para fijar las clavijas de tensión para la cuerda de latón y sustituyendo la batea por una bandeja o medio calabazo de .50 cm de diametro, el cual también se reporta como resonador sustituto de la batea. Es de sumo interés como el calabazo es un fruto usado para la creación de otros instrumentos como el bote o arcuza y las maracas.

La tarimba se usaba para animar los bailes y propiciar el cortejo entre los jóvenes y actualmente ya no se usa. A través del taller se ha puesto atención a instrumentos de la región que aunque ya no se ven han formado parte de la tradición de los pueblos negros de la costa chica.

[1] Carlos Ruíz Rodríguez, “La tarimba del Potrero Oaxaca” en En el lugar de la música.Testimonio musical de México 1964-2009 INAH 2008:195-203.

BALA

The three main instruments of the Mande tradition are the bala (ancestor to the marimba), the ngoni (a type of guitar) and the kora (a type of harp). The bala, is the instrument best known for its long history going back to the Reign of Sunjata of the 13C. The instrument has a trapezoidal frame which supports the keyboard on top and gourds as resonant boxes at the bottom. The keyboard is made of smoked wood, arranged in a diatonic scale in C and a range of 3 octaves. A male musician called Jeli plays the bala with two thick mallets with heads of hard rubber. The movement of striking the keys is likened to that of blacksmith hammering metal which is a reason for BALA musicians to be associated with smiths.

One of the myths of creation of the bala revolves around the origins of the reign unified by sunjata and the Mande culture.

A story of the BALA according to LASSANA DIABATÉ’s oral account.

A young girl and her younger brother were the offspring of a king. One day the girl left her house to explore the world. She visited many places until she came across a big witch, the devil in the form of a person. She got to know him and fell pregnant. As he was the devil he told her that he could not stay with her and he sent her home. Before she departed he gave her two gifts telling her, “this present is a bala for my child who you are carrying inside and the other is a rifle [sic] for your younger brother”. With this the youth left to return home.

When she arrived she gave the gun to her brother and put the bala to one side until her child was born. Her brother was happy but also intrigued by the instrument he had never seen before. Why hadn´t he been given the instrument? The boy´s envy and curiosity moved him to steal and hide the bala. When the boy was older he became king Soumaoro Kante, king of the Susu kingdom. His most valued treasure was the bala that he kept hidden in a large room. It was said that this bala was very powerful; ¡In fact like the devil himself! If a fly landed on its keys, sound would come out in the form of a big hurricane.

The Soumaoro king was a despot who mistreated his people who lived precariously under his tyrannical reign and his mean government. One day his people got together and asked Sunjata warrior for help. Sunjata received the plea of the Susu people.

Sunjata had a local resident Jeli musician who sang stories about the his deeds and other stories. Following the rules of war Sunjata sent Fasigi Kouyate, the messenger musician, to advise and warn the enemy Soumaoro that they were going to war and that his yoked people who be set free.

The messenger musician went to Soumaoro and using the normal protocol he delivered the message of imminent war. During his stay he discovered bala in the room and when he got the chance he went in and played it. The moment the keys were played the wind began to whistle and a dust storm rose. The Soumaoro king was furious as he entered the room. To pacify him the musician sang praising him and he did this so beautifully and convincingly that the king pardoned his life and made him a servant musician.

When Sunjata received no news he started the war campaign and defeated Soumauro, liberating the population, the kingdoms were unified and Fasigi Kouyate, his musician was saved. Soumaoro fled and disappeared in the mountain caves to the east of Mali ( for more stories about Sunjata see the text by Eric Charry, Mande Music. Chicago and London, University of Chicago Press, 2000:40-43).

ARTESA

La artesa es un gran tronco ahuecado del árbol de Parota, de forma rectangular, que mide entre 2.50 y hasta 4 metros de longitud, 50 cm de altura, 60cm a 90 cm de ancho y tiene un orificio pequeño lateral. Hace las veces de una tarima para zapatear, bailando en parejas el repertorio de sones y chilenas particularmente en las bodas (véase el son de artesa Mariquita María en el minidocumental del taller de bajo quinto II). Comúnmente sus extremos están labrados con forma de cabeza y cola de Toro, en alusión al tema de la vaquería que es una actividad principal de las poblaciones negras de la costa de Oaxaca y Guerrero. Este mismo instrumento de percusión sin decoración se usa al norte sobre la costa pacífica entre los pueblos del Nayar. Se acompaña del conjunto instrumental de artesa que aparece en esta misma sección (Carlos Ruíz Rodríguez, Versos, música y baile de artesa de la Costa Chica. San Nicolás Guerrero y El Ciruelo Oaxaca. Seminario de Tradiciones Culturales, CONACULTA, El Colegio de México, 2004: 15-25; Baltazar A. Velasco García, Un son mexicano llamado Chilena. Baile y canto de la costa chica de Oaxaca y de Guerrero, CONACULTA PACMYC 2014, Secrestaría de las culturas y artes de Oaxaca, Fundción Alfredo Harp Helú, 2015:62-73). Fotografía: Carlos Ruiz

CARIÑAN OR KARINYAN

The word possibly derived from the French carrillon, is the only instrument that Jelis women play accompanying their songs and their dances. The instrument which is a type of tubular with slots as a scraper and a handle It is played by scraping it with a thin metal mallet performing a gyratory movement of the wrist (See Eric Charry, Mande Music. Chicago and London, University of Chicago Press, 2000:93).

BAJO QUINTO

El bajo quinto es descendiente de la guitarra batente usada en Europa en el siglo XVII y conserva la morfología de una guitarra sexta común, aunque es de mayor tamaño y grosor. Tiene cinco órdenes dobles de cuerdas metálicas, las primeras de acero lisas, las segundas de latón lisas, y las terceras, cuartas y quintas entorchadas de latón ( en sus versiones antiguas puede llegar a tener cuatro triples y una doble) y forma parte de los llamados bajos de espiga.En la costa se le conoce bajo el nombre de vihuela. Su amplio registro, sonoridad y timbre brillante y su capacidad para puntear melodías y bordoneos o bajeos, asi como armonizar con rasgueo, lo hacen el instrumento favorito para ejecutar el repertorio de la Mixteca Alta, Baja y de la Costa, que son chilenas, pasos dobles, oaxacados, corridos, sones, palomos, boleros, merequetengues y otros géneros. Los trovadores se acompañan con el bajo como solistas, pero frecuentemente hace dúo con el violín y trio con el violín y una variedad de jarana mixteca. Se producían en el pueblo mixteco serrano de Coicoyan de las Flores por la familia Tenorio. Los comerciantes llevaban los bajos, violines y jaranas a las ferias regionales y bajaban a vender los instrumentos a la costa desde el tiempo de carnaval en febrero hasta las fiestas de semana Santa, recorriendo la región desde Huaxpaltepec, Oaxaca hasta Ometepec y tierra dentro en Iguala en el estado de Guerrero. Se puede decir que el bajo quinto es el instrumento de la música negra de la costa (Rubén Luengas Pérez “El bordón de las nubes” en Acervos Boletín de los archivos y bibliotecas de Oaxaca, Vol. 6, Invierno de 2001, No.24 Pag. de la 23 a la 27).

CONJUNTO DE ARTESA

Los sones y el zapateo sobre la artesa (ver en esta sección) se acompañan principalmente con el violín, el bajo quinto (ver en esta sección), el cajón, y la guacharasca. El cántaro puede usarse también golpeando con un pañuelo sobre su boca. El cajón es un tambor rectangular de un solo parche (60 cm de largo X 35cm de ancho x 25cm de alto) que se percute con una baqueta y la palma de la mano (ver video ensamble de taller tocando la chilena “Silencio Corazón”). La guacharasca es una sonaja tubular hecha de madera de guarumbo con palitos de madera insertados, atravesando su interior, con los que chocan las semillas de platanillo al mover el instrumento (Carlos Ruíz Rrodríquez, Versos, música y baile de artesa de la Costa Chica San Nicolas, Guerrero y El Ciruelo, Oaxaca. Centro de Estudios Lingüísticos y Literarios, El Colegio de México, Conaculta, Seminario de Tradiciones culturales 2004: 17-20).

CONJUNTO DE DIABLOS

El juego o baile de diablos se acompaña con un conjunto de armónica afinada en C, a la que llaman flauta, un tambor de fricción llamado “bote” pero también se le conoce como “arcuza” o “tigrera” y una quijada de burro, llamada charrasca, que se raspa con un cuerno de venado alternando con golpes laterales con el puño de la mano. El bote está hecho con un calabazo llamado “teconte”- también usado para guardar las tortillas- con un parche sobre el que descansa un palo encerado que se frota haciendo vibrar la membrana y produciendo un sonido parecido al rugido de tigre.