The Language of Music

The 2012 African Creative Economy conference ended on a high. At the dinner dance, the true meaning of the words that “music is a universal language” came to pass. Three, no, actually four musicians, who had never played together took to the stage and the outcome was both electrifying and memorable. Saihou Kanuteh from the Gambia, Mahmoud Karar from Sudan and Aadel Essaadani from Morocco were at the conference as delegates representing their respective countries. Accomplished musicians, they decided to have a “jam session”and boy was it memorable.

It started with Kanuteh, who has specialised in fusing mbalax and manding sounds, taking to the kora. And boy did he strum it. Then he was joined by Mahmoud on the bass with Aadel on the the drums and congas. Wait until he opened his voice, Kanuteh had everyone swaying and nodding. Later on, another Senegalese kora specialist joined them with Kanuteh doing the vocals.

They gave a memorable show. And to imagine that they had just met, no rehearsals, no inhibitions, no nothing. The POWER of MUSIC.