Teachers
We shall be providing teachers who have many years experience in African djembe & sabar drumming including African teachers:
Modou Diouf is from the Serer people of Senegal and comes from a long line of griots (those families who are responsible
for preserving the musical and oral traditions of the village/tribe). His instrument is the sabar drum, which is played
with hand and stick and is used primarily by those from the Wolof tribe in Northern Senegal. Modou has been teaching in this country and in
Africa for over 10 years although he still lives in Brikama, The Gambia.
Ansoumana 'Vieux' Bakayoko has been playing since the age of three and whilst living in Senegal, he led a troupe of drummers & dancers,
'The Ballet Bougarabou', for about 14 years. Vieux now lives in Leamington Spa and he is the soloist drummer and leader of
Hamana Bjémakan. He is a master of djembe, dundun, bolon & krin and he teaches traditional
Mandingue/Malinke rhythms and his teaching & playing style are very dynamic and great fun.
Diene 'Vieux' Sagna is also from the Serer people of Senegal and is from a family of dancers . His speciality is in the
traditional Senegalese sabar style of dancing, but has also trained in the djembe style. He is based in Manchester and has regular
classes there, but he teaches and performs all over the UK. Visit his MySpace page for
more information.
Hans Sutton is a perceptive, dynamic and inspiring teacher who began playing djembe at the age of 10 and teaching at the age of 15. He
specialises in Guinean rhythms and has studied with the world's best drummers in Africa and Europe. Hans is renowned for his versatile teaching
methods, comprehensive subject knowledge and the high standards his students achieve.
Sam Elvyhart has been doing West African drumming since 2003 and has been teaching for almost three years. Sam has studied
with many African djembe masters, has a deep knowledge of Mandingue/Malinke rhythms, and she performs with
Hamana Bjémakan
Emma Nelson has been doing West African drumming since 2003 studying with different djembe masters and has a deep knowledge of
Mandingue/Malinke rhythms. Emma has also studied Guinean dance, both in the UK and in Senegal. Consequently, Emma can teach djembe/dundun
rhythms as well as the accompanying song and dance. She performs both drum and dance with Hamana
Bjémakan.
Rosie Colvin has been doing sabar drumming for over 10 years and has been teaching sabar in Banbury since 2006. Rosie has been performing with Sankofa (a sabar performance group which ) for several years, and has been leading the group for the last couple of years. She has studied
extensively with Modou, both in Africa and in the UK