African Music Concerts Week of Nov 5 - Nov 11

The American Film Institute (AFI) is running their annual Film Festival in Hollywood. This year they are featuring 6 films from African countries as a mini film series program.

Drumming is what Americans think you mean when you say you listen to African music. Little do they know that the variety of music from just one African country can rival all the music in America, if not also being the source of the American variant. But when Africans want to see drumming, there is nothing that America offers to compare to the percussion ensembles of Africa. Many drummers each beating a different rhythm creates a multi-vocal harmony that must be experienced to understand its power, depth and spirituality.

Of all the drumming groups in Africa, the Royal Drummers of Burundi are one of the best. For centuries they have been syncopating the stories of the ruling class. They will even be using the sacred and large drums, including a hollowed out tree trunk. This is a culturally unique event that should not be missed.

Opening for the drum troupe is Mombasa Party from Kenya. They blend Arabic and Indian melodies to create the distinctive African taraab sound.