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Dear friend of Arkadia,

You are invited by Suomen Antropologinen Seura to the screening of ‘ In the Blood: Portrait of a Griot’ (2005) by Aakusti Oksanen and Jari Järvi, and based on research by Aakusti Oksanen, on Monday 3.11 at 5pm at Arkadia (Nervanderinkatu 11)

In the Blood: Portrait of a Griot documents Zoumana Dembele’s life and work in the town of Bobo-Dioulasso. It vividly conveys the dedication and joy with which griots approach their calling. This short documentary is meant to be an opening for a more extensive film project

The film will be presented by Aakusti Oksanen, a musician, rhythm music teacher , cultural researcher, and documentarist. Aakusti Oksanen has been dedicated to West African music culture by means of art and science for well over a decade.

http://djembepaja.fi/
http://www.antropologinenseura.fi/

Welcome!

Warm regards,

Ian
www.arkadiabookshop.fi

– Entrance is free but a donation of €3 (or more!) to fund the event is suggested and would be most welcome. If you have no loose change or coins we gladly accept payment via Visa Electron or Mastercard etc. !

In the Blood: Portrait of a Griot (25min.) Directed by Aakusti Oksanen and Jari Järvi Based on research by Aakusti Oksanen Produced by Kaarna Productions © 2005 Finland

Ousmane “Zoumana” Dembele was born in Burkina Faso to a family of djelis, also known as griots—hereditary musicians and storytellers of West Africa. He learned the traditional djeli repertoire by playing the supporting calabash drums to his father’s fiddle. Griot musical traditions are still passed from one generation to the next, although times are changing. The djembe drum, Zoumana’s main instrument, has only recently come into use in griot repetoire. Widely versatile, Zoumana Dembele is one of the most gifted virtuosos of djembe music. He experiences a strong link between his work and the heritage of his forefathers.

In the Blood received an Honorable Mention in Finland’s Kinos05 Festival. The judges praised the film: “African rhythms and colors, and brilliant technical realization bring alive the lifestyle and philosophy of Burkina Faso’s traditional musicians for the audience.”

Muotokuvadokumentti kertoo burkinafasolaisen griotin ja muusikon Ousmane ”Zoumana” Dembelen elämästä. Griotit eli djelit ovat perinteisiä länsiafrikkalaisia muusikko- ja tarinankertojasukuja. Griotit syntyvät edelleen suoraan musiikkiin, mutta kaupungeissa heidän perinteensä on muutoksessa.

Maailmanlaajuisessa suosiossa oleva afrikkalainen djemberumpu on noussut vahvaan rooliin myös griottien repertuaareissa. Zoumana on yksi tämän hetken lahjakkaimmista djemben soittajista maailmassa. Henkilökuva vie katsojan lähelle Zoumanaa ja näyttää hänen työnsä tinkimättömän hengen sekä musiikin tekemisen ilon ja energian. Hän kokee vahvan linkin esi-isiensä perinteen jatkumisen ja oman työnsä välillä.

Elokuvan esittelee sen tekijä, Aakusti Oksanen, muusikko, rytmimusiikin opettaja, kulttuuritutkija ja dokumentaristi, joka on omistautunut taiteen ja tieteen keinoin länsiafrikkalaiselle musiikkikulttuurille yli vuosikymmenen ajan.