World Music Discoveries: Drums and Djembes of Burkina Faso

When We Were Kings(en)

It's 1974. Muhammad Ali is 32 and thought by many to be past his prime. George Foreman is ten years younger and the heavyweight champion of the world. Promoter Don King wants to make a name for himself and offers both fighters five million dollars apiece to fight one another, and when they accept, King has only to come up with the money. He finds a willing backer in Mobutu Sese Suko, the dictator of Zaire, and the "Rumble in the Jungle" is set, including a musical festival featuring some of America's top black performers, like James Brown and B.B. King.

There Is No Authority But Yourself(en)

A Dutch documentary about the history of the anarchist punk band Crass. The film features archival footage of the band, and interviews with former members Steve Ignorant, Penny Rimbaud and Gee Vaucher.

Ouaga Girls(fr)

A group of young women from Ouagadougou study at a girl school to become auto mechanics. The classmates become their port of safety, joy and sisterhood, all while they are going through the life changing transition into becoming adults in a country boiling with political changes. In a country with youth unemployment at 52 percent, jobs are a hot issue. The young girls at a mechanics school in Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou are right in the middle of a crucial point in life when their dreams, hopes and courage are confronted with opinions, fears and society’s expectations of what a woman should be. Using interesting narrative solutions, Theresa Traore Dahlberg depicts their last school years and at the same time succeeds in showing the country’s violent past and present. This is a feature-film debut and coming-of-age film with much warmth, laughs, heartbreak and depth.

Mögöbalu, Les Maîtres des Tambours d'Afrique(fr)

Djembefola(fr)

African drummer leaves village, makes it big in the world. Great drumming!!

Heartbeat of a Nation(en)

A short documentary that celebrates Dene cultural reclamation and revitalization, in which a father passes on traditional knowledge to his child through the teachings of a caribou drum.

Burkina Faso 8600 km(is)

Tales of Sand and Snow(fr)

In a quest to rediscover the spiritual values of his own people, an African filmmaker from the Gourmantche tribe of Burkina Faso visits an Aboriginal band, the Atikamekw of northern Quebec. The resulting documentary is a dialogue between those who divine the future in the sand with those who use snow-encased sweat lodges to reconnect with the spiritual world.

Ferocious Drummers(en)

FEROCIOUS DRUMMERS is the original groundbreaking documentary about the greatest rhythmic rebels, that was nearly lost forever. In this never-before-seen footage, rediscovered 17 years after it was first produced, dozens of music legends recount what it means to be a percussive virtuoso in the world of Rock n Roll. This documentary film, chronicling their unique and unprecedented journeys, Ferocious Drummers delves into the dynamic real life of modern rock's greatest magicians of tempo. What makes them tick, who inspired them, why do they do what they do, and ultimately, what fuels the sticks and their drive inside the world's greatest bands.

Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey(en)

After escaping Russia's communist revolution, Léon Theremin travels to New York, where he pioneers the field of electronic music with his synthesizer. But at the height of his popularity, Soviet agents kidnap and force him to develop spy technology.

The Miracle of Candeal(es)

The story of the Candeal favela in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, where musician Carlinhos Brown carries out social and cultural initiatives that protect and enrich the lives of its inhabitants every day.

Kick Drum Hearts(en)

In 2010, the Mariemont Boys Cross Country team tries to repeat the historic season they had in 2009 after they lose their top two runners.

The Way of the Shaman Drum(zh)

During the Cultural Revolution in China in the late 20th century, ethnic Manchu people were persecuted and forced to give up such cultural traditions as the shaman dance (tiao tchin, meaning "spirit-jumping" or "god's dance"). However, on Changbai Mountain in Northeast China, a farmer named Guan Yunde decided to start designing and building traditional Manchu shaman drums. At age 70, he is one of a minority of ethnic Manchu people in China's Jilin province, and one of the few people keeping the Manchu shamanic tradition alive.

Under African Skies: Ethiopia(en)

First aired on TV on the BBC Two on 29 September 1989, this second episode of the documentary series "Under African Skies", a grand project aimed at presenting the rich diversity of contemporary African music of those days and known for its unforgettable memento "A celebration of the new sounds of a continent. " traverses the nostalgic roots and the euphoric contours of Ethiopian music of the '80s.

Practice Makes Perfect(en)

The film is primarily a portrait of Kam Kelly, who teaches West African drumming to students at various New York schools, including Intermediate School 292 in Brooklyn. One of his students, Jessica Jackson, is featured. The piece was commissioned for the “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2012.

The Man of the Trees(fr)

The life story of Daniel Balimá, a horticulturist with a disability in Burkina Faso.

Kankles: Redefining Tradition(en)

Vaiva Dunaitytė, a gifted 20-year-old musician, shares her lifelong journey with the Lithuanian plucked string instrument, Kanklės- an ancient tradition she’s transforming for the modern world.

The last Balafon Master(de)

Le roi du drum(fr)

Guy Nadon is the rhythm incarnate. A jazz drummer who strikes on everything that makes noise. A king of musical improvisation, but also a king of improvisation, sometimes holding words bordering on surrealism.

Rumba Rules, New Genealogies(ln)

Rumba Rules, New Genealogies offers an enjoyable, rough-edged glimpse into the music scene of Kinshasa, with impromptu shots drawing the viewer into jam sessions on plastic chairs, and the quest for perfection at the studio.