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Hot African music shines on Lamma Island

The Young Reporter (2001, October), 34(01), pp. 11.
Author: Dorothy Kwok. Editor: Rita Tsang.
Permanent URL - https://sys01.lib.hkbu.edu.hk/bujspa/purl.php?&did=bujspa0014925

Dorothy Kwok dorothy@tyronline.com

MAKHA was sitting on the beach facing to the sea. He closed his eyes and used all his energy to hit the skin of the drum to make distinct rhythms. He was dripping with sweat but he did not care.

Makha is one of the four members of the drum team in Kilimay Iyano. It is an African shop on Lamma Island, which sells African art crafts and teaches African music on weekends.

The team has been playing drums on Lamma Island since 1998. Residents soon were enticed to the attraction of this exotic music.

On every Sunday evening, people from all walks of life gather ind catch the drumbeats. Makha and his three teammates play the African drums and teach African music.

UI think they are very open-minded to accept new things. They are capable of catching up beats quickly. They are fond of singing with us. Some of them have come twice or even more. We have become friends now,” Mamadou M’baye, the owner of the shop said.

There are two types of drums in his shop: Djembe and Dumdum. Djembe is made of goatskin. It has a high pitch sound. Dumdum is made of cow skin. According to Mamadou, African druma are getting more and more popular in Hong Kong due to the lively nature of the African music.

“When you play, you play with your heart. When we are playing African music, you can obviously feel our emotion by listening to the rhythms. When I am in a blue mood, the drum will make the audiences feel somber. Playing drum is kind of a good channel for players to release pressure and emotion,” Makha said.

Maggie, a music teacher in a primary school, experiences something new and different, recalling memories that enrich her life when she started to learn African music.

“This music is very energetic and fantastic. It has no melody but has a good sense of beats. It’s so much fun to play the drums and it gives me a chance to explore my horizons to different culture.”

Maggie loves to invite this team to perform at her school, “I think this is a great opportunity to let my students experience a different kind of music and culture.”

The team has been in Hong Kong for three years, but they do not suffer from homesickness when abroad. "Hong Kong is a peaceful city and people are so nice. I would very much love to share my culture with Hong Kong people. I hope African music will be spread throughout the territory in the future," Makha said.

Once again, it proves the Hong Kong as a ‘hot-pot’, where different cultures can find a niche here.

Edited by Rita Tsang

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