By Walter Burkat ’16

Photo Courtesy of contrejour.com

The rhythm of Acoustic Africa’s music energized the audience at their performance at the Williams Center for the Arts last Friday. The performers, hailing from West Africa, used choreography, comedy and sheer talent to inspire the audience to actually dance along to their music.

One of the lead vocalists, Dobet Gnahoré, is from Abidjan, Côted’Ivoire, where she first developed her passion for African music. Her father, Boni Gnahoré, is a master percussionist who plays with the Abidjan-based Ki-Yi Mbock Company. It appears that talent runs in the family, because Gnahoré demonstrated her mastery of singing, dancing, and keeping the beat, proving her an accomplished percussionist. When asked about her thoughts of America, she replied, “I love the Côte d’Ivoire, but I also have a special place in my heart for America.”

Another lead vocalist, Manou Gallo, is from Divo, Côte d’Ivoire. The audience applauded her beautiful voice and her skill keeping the beat on the bass. She also interacted with the crowd with a witty sense of a humor. “Thank you so much for your support, and now, in return, I will speak to you in Franglais,” she joked. Gallo broke from tradition in Divo in order to her pursue her passion for musical performance.

Kareyce Fotso, who hails from Yaoundé, Cameroon, captured the audience with her powerful voice and her intricate handling of the guitar. During the performance, Fotso prefaced a song by saying the group had decided to dedicate a song to the victims of Hurricane Sandy in the wake of the disaster. “We were deeply saddened by the tragic news of the destruction that Sandy caused to the East Coast,” said Fotso. The song was initially mellow and somber, but became increasingly energetic and vivacious, perhaps as though paralleling the rebuilding that will follow the hurricane.

Also performing were Aly Keïta and Zoumana Diarra of Mali, Wendlavim Zabsonre of Burkina Faso, and Leni Stern of the United States. These talented musicians supplemented the incredible performance with their talents with the balafon(the African equivalent of the vibraphone), guitars, and the drums. These seven gifted individuals blended their talents into a collective inspiring performance. It was hard to resist the temptation to dance to the music, and the group invited the audience to partake in the jovial occasion.