‘We would not define Burkinabe culture through political coups’

TONY BURKE speaks to Clotilde Rullard Nacoulma and Achille Nacoulma of the band Kananaye from Burkina Faso

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IT’S not often we get a chance to hear great live musicians from the landlocked West African country, of Burkina Faso but this October Kananaye will play a number of dates in the UK.

They are a “dream team” comprising Clotilde Rullaud Nacoulma on vocals and flute; Seydou “Kanazoe” Diabate on balan, percussion and vocals; Abdoulaye “Debademba” Traore on guitars; Boubacar Djiga on kunde (a three-stringed West African lute) and percussion; and Achille Nacoulma on drums, percussion and vocals.

The name Kananaye means “it’s not easy” — a phrase heard on the streets of a country which was known until 1984 as the Upper Volta, an economically desperate French colony. The indigenous population of what was renamed Burkina Faso by the revolutionary leader Thomas Sankara, had been discriminated against by the French for much of its colonial history.

With an economy based on agriculture and overseas aid, colonisers had exploited the country’s mineral wealth (gold and manganese) and the population suffered repression, poverty, droughts, political infighting and military coups. Many people emigrated to neighbouring countries like Mali, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire to make a living.

Things changed in 1983 when Sankara was appointed prime minister, only to be subsequently arrested. Efforts to free him resulted in Sankara being brought back to power and his government started a series of revolutionary programmes including mass-vaccinations, health care, infrastructure construction, the expansion of women’s rights and stabilising the economy.

Clotilde and Achille point out Sankara remains an important figure in Burkina Faso’s history and imagination. “His legacy appears symbolically in our song Faso De Nous (“Our Fatherland”). But Burkinabe culture is far older than the country’s recent political history. Burkina Faso has as many traditions as ethnic groups. So we would not define Burkinabe culture through political coups.”

“Although the fighting in the Sahel region affects daily life, people there are still organising concerts, film festivals, dance festivals and theatre festivals. One of the most famous of these festivals, Les Récréâtrales, will take place in Ouagadougou at the end of October. Music remains a place where people can meet, breathe and keep social bonds alive.

“Kananayé itself is built on equality and mutual respect. We respect the sovereignty of peoples, and we also believe that every person deserves dignity, freedom and safety, without discrimination like anti-LGBT discrimination. Our role is to build connections through music.”

“We met in 2019, at the Badara Festival. We are five artists from very different backgrounds discovering the joy of playing together and the richness of sharing our respective musical knowledge, experiences and backgrounds.

“We prefer to call it a conversation rather than a fusion — blues and jazz themselves carry deep African histories. What holds everything together is our collective sound and the stories we tell in French, Dyula, Moré and English.”

How would they describe their music? Burkina Faso has 68 different ethnic groups, with different languages, musical modes and rhythms, so it cannot be reduced to a single musical identity, and neither can Kananaye.

“We bring together Fulani, Dafing, Mossi, Sambla and French backgrounds. That brings the Sambla and the Toussian balafon traditions, Mossi warba rhythms, Mande and Sahelian music, alongside blues, jazz, rock, folk, poetry and improvisation.”

“They can expect a journey that begins with stories and often ends in dance, voice and flute, guitar, balafon, kunde, drums and percussion and songs in French, Dyula, Moré and English. Above all, they will meet five friends, five musicians who listen to one another, take risks and genuinely enjoy being together on stage!”

Kananaye will perform on October 6, PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho, London), tickets: pizzaexpresslive.com; October 8, The Bear Club (Mill Yard, Guildford Street, Luton), tickets: the-bear.club; October 10, Ashburton Arts Centre (Ashburton, Newton Abbot), tickets: ashburtonarts.org.uk 

COMPETITION: We have a pair of free tickets for Morning Star readers at the venue of their choice. Please indicate your interest in entering the draw by emailing [email protected]  by 12 noon on October 4.

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