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Mali Project Summary
(May-June/04)
Project Description: Woodchoppers
Association Multi-disciplinary Tour to Mali
Organizers:
Dave Clark, Lewis Melville, Bay Weyman, JP Melville, Tannis
Slimmon
The goal of this project
is to develop an ongoing cultural collaboration between Canadian
artists and their peers in Mali, West Africa. Working in partnership
with the Developing Countries Farm Radio Network (DCFRN), and the Institut National des Artes in Bamako,
artists from both countries will channel their creative talents in a
campaign to raise awareness about agricultural issues in West Africa.
Agricultural issues are key to the stable development of the world's
poorer countries. Making good, practical information available to
farmers is an important step towards solving many of the basic
challenges. In many countries, however, information is not available in
local languages and dialects, and therefore not accessible to farmers.
Mali is one such country. Radio, however, has been proven to be an
effective vehicle for providing information and education to farmers in
these areas. The DCFRN coordinates the production of important
agricultural programming on small local radio stations in West Africa
and around the world. By focussing the spotlight on the DCFRN and other
non-governmental organizations working in agriculture we hope that this
project will facilitate the continuation of their efforts.
Mali is also at the hub of the West African
musical tradition. Malian music is considered by many to be the
birthplace of the blues, which in turn has had a profound impact on
North American roots, jazz, and popular music. Thus it is a place of
great cultural interest to musicians and music fans around the world.
Music has always been a positive tool leading to understanding between
people from different cultural backgrounds. As musicians the
Woodchoppers recognize the value of the cultural contribution of Mali
to the world of music, and would like to ensure these contributions
continue to grow and flourish to the benefit of all.
The "Mali Project" is an ongoing
"group initiative". The initial stage included a series of
collaborative multidisciplinary workshops, visits to agricultural
projects in Mali, and musical performances involving the Woodchoppers
Association, Tannis Slimmon, Mansa Sissoko, Jah
Youssouf, students at the National Institute for the Arts, and other Mali artists and musicians.
Supported by a CIDA grant, Bay Weyman (Close Up Films, Toronto) filmed
these interactions and for a documentary about the project which has a
tentative release date in late 2006. In collaboration with Mansa
Sissoko, Lewis Melville and Dave Clark produced a compilation benefit
album of music by local Mali artists which was presented to the Farm
Radio Network. The DCFRN and other agricultural NGOs will use this
music and additional materials such as interviews, music recordings,
film footage, and narrative experiences to help with their funding
campaigns, and as a promotional resource for a media initiative in
Canada.
About the
Participants:
The Woodchoppers
Association is a jazz
improvisation orchestra started in Toronto in 1995. Founded by
bandleader Dave Clark (Rheostatics, Gord Downie Band) and associate
Lewis Melville as a vehicle for bringing together a community of
like-minded Canadian musicians, it’s members share an interest in
cross-cultural musical collaboration as a source of new ideas and
creative inspiration. The Woodchoppers have released three albums and
perform regularly at festivals and special events. Over 150 musicians
from all walks of musical life have contributed to the Woodchoppers,
including Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip, Kevin Hearn, Jose Contreras, SookYin Lee, Nick
Didkovsky, Tim
Posgate, Justin
Haynes, and many
others.
Lewis Melville is a Guelph,
Ontario, composer, producer, and recording artist. He is an original
member of the Woodchoppers Association. As a producer and
performer his various musical adventures have taken him across Canada,
North America, Europe, and Asia. In 1993 he co-founded
DROG Canadian Recordings , an organization dedicated
to catalyzing new music by independent regional Canadian artists,
building community through music, and using music to promote goodwill
worldwide. Over 100 albums have been released on the DROG label,
including five benefit theme albums and three compilations. Lewis also works as a research associate in
the Department of Botany at the University of Guelph where he studies
symbiotic associations between soil micro-organisms and the roots of
plants. He has co-authored over 15 publications and two books.
Dave Clark is a drummer,
percussionist, vocalist, guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, tubaist,
trumpeter, Gemini Award winning composer, arranger, bandleader,
conductor, music instructor, band manager, audio engineer, record
producer, graphic artist, multi-media arts festival director and poet
who has participated in music and art internationally for 24 years. Clark is well known for his ability to conceptualize,
organize and mobilize instant musical and multi-media events. His work
as the leader of the WoodChopper’s Association illustrates a high
degree of inventiveness and tenacity. Dave is presently studying,
creating, performing and teaching music.
Mansa Sissoko is an accomplished kora player (a
multi-stringed instrument with 21 strings made from the gourd
‘calabash’ and cattle leather). Mansa was born in the village of Ballya
in the region of Kaye, about 200 kilometres from the capital, Bamako,
and sings and composes in a traditional style called Mandingue.
A ‘griot’ by birth (a storyteller), he carries on the tradition of
singing about family lines, society, and history. He
performed with Habib Koite for five years, and is currently on
tour performing and recording with Tiken Jah Fakoly as well as
organizing the National Kora Festival in Bamako, Mali.
Bay Weyman is an award-winning
Canadian filmmaker with over 15 years experience in
writing, producing, and directing documentary films. Weyman has
explored his parallel interests in social issues and popular culture
through a wide variety of productions, ranging from reality series and
social docs, to arts documentary and performance films. His work has
been broadcast by all the major networks in Canada, and as far away as
New Zealand. Bay is currently working on FINDING
FIDEL, a feature documentary about Canadian war cameraman Erik
Durschmied, who in the fall of 1958 on the eve of the Revolution,
traveled to Cuba to track down Fidel Castro at his camp, high in the
mountains of the Sierra Maestra (in development with TVOntario,
Knowledge Network, SCN, and VRT Belgium for production in 2004).
JP Melville is an
international Development Planner and
Project Manager specializing in agricultural projects in developing
countries. A graduate of the University Guelph with a degree in Rural
Planning and Development (International), he has over 15 years work
experience in many countries, including Bhutan, Thailand, Tibet, Benin,
and Mali. He is currently working and living in Bamako, Mali, West
Africa with his family.
Tannis is a songstress
(singer/songwriter/player) living in Guelph, Ontario who has
been performing, recording and touring for over twenty years (Bird
Sisters, Crows Feet, Benji) and has appeared as a guest vocalist on
over 45 recordings by numerous artists (Willie P. Bennett, Valdy,
Rheostatics, Luther Wright and the Wrongs). Her songs have appeared on
several compilations and she is now embarking on a career as a solo
artist, with her debut album Oak Lake.
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