April 16, 2013

On Friday, April 19, students from École Notre-Dame (Hanmer), École St-Paul (Lively) and École St-Étienne (Dowling) will have the opportunity to witness a master drummer in action during his tour in two Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario (CSCNO) schools. Amadou Kienou will present a show at 9:30 a.m., at École Notre-Dame, located at 4503 Dennie St., in Hanmer. In the afternoon, at 1 p.m., he will display his musical skills at École St-Paul, located at 185 6th Avenue, in Lively. Members of the media are invited to attend either of the presentations.

Born in Burkina Faso, this internationally-renowned artist will present a show entitled « Farafina Djeli kan » - the message of the Griot in Western Africa. The djembe drum and the tama are the percussion instruments to be featured. Amadou Kienou is the son of a famous family of griots, the keepers of the oral tradition in Western Africa. Raised in a strong family musical environment, Amadou learns the Mandigo tradition, songs and rhythm. Under the direction of this father, Amadou becomes a specialist of the djembe and perfects his own musical style.

Like no one else, Amadou can play both the djembe and the tama simultaneously while offering to his audience a sound usually performed by an orchestra. Today, Amadou continues to compose, play and teach his music throughout the world. He has played along well known artists such as Miriam Makeba, Manu Dibango, Angélique Kidjo, Kassav, Youssou N'dour and Salif Keita. In 2011, he was presented the best Burkinabe artist award at the Burkina Faso International Cinema Festival.