Dounougna by Sidiki Conde
“Dounougna” by Sidiki Conde at the International African Arts Festival (July 4, 2017)presented by the Brooklyn Arts Council as part of the Art of African Spiritualism series.
“Dounougna” (World) Composed in 1986 in Guinea
Published Innova Recordings 2008
“In this world we are many different people. We are fine.
Some people have no eyes. We are fine.
Some people have no ears. We are fine.
Some people have no voice. We are fine.
Some people have no legs. We are fine.
Some people have nothing. Some people have everything.
God helps everyone in the world.”
Sidiki Conde is a dancer, drummer, and singer from Guinea, West Africa, who despite losing the use of his legs when he was 14, followed his dream to become a dancer. With veterans of West Africa’s premier dance and musical ensembles including Ballets Africains and Les Merveilles d’Afrique, Sidiki Conde founded Tokounou, named after his tribal village, in 1999. Conde celebrates the traditional arts of Guinea and chronicles his unique journey as a person with a disability. In 2017, he was honored by the NEA as a National Heritage Fellow. Today, Mr. Conde will play music derived from the traditional rhythms of Guinea and harmoniescreated by a series of melodic rhythms that are played by each of the instruments. He will be joined by Balla Kouyate(Balafon, Mali) and Ibrahima Camara (Djembe/Dundun Drums, Guinea).