“If the Lonely Planet Guide has Kafountine as one of the most laid back villages on the planet then the Kora Workshop has to be the equivalent. Clean, clear and sunny in every way.
From my arrival in Banjul at the beginning of my fortnights stay I enjoyed every minute. Adam and Kath were so easy to be around, exceptionally adept at including anything and everybody into their day.
My first real time in Africa; surrounded by the natural beauty of the bush, the land contained everything i needed to relax and absorb the home of the kora.
Having planned a routine of tuition and practice, Adam embarked upon the task of teaching me with great patience and possibly the hindsight of having taught most of his offspring the challenging art.
Each day rolled one social situation into the next, from the cook Binta and her papoosed
baby arriving to prepare lunch to the builders turning up to complete the third house,
to the various griot visitors whom I was too shy or slow to jam with. The evenings
usually rounded off with after-
Some days my playing went haywire and so I rested or went to the village to hang out, shop for fabrics, and inevitably be greeted by friends and local kids either calling me by name or "toubab", "cadeau pour moi?" Some days I borrowed a bike to the sea for a dip just minutes from the house.
My stay coincided with the festival at Abene just the next village, where we were entertained by many diverse acts, including the Cissoko family who were very hospitable at their compound in Ziguinchor where I had the good fortune to visit in the following days.
If you don’t mind French loos, bucket showers and bush taxis, then this is the place for you. Can’t wait to go back. Such happy memories! And now i play kora too!”
Kath’s note – we now also have an ‘English-
Anne’s Review -
I started playing Kora in about September 2009. After working through Adam's Kora
workshop notation for a few months, in March 2010 I went to stay with Adam and his
sons Josh and Stephan and daughter Sarah in his house in Kafountine for two weeks.
The house is situated on the family's large piece of land on the verge of the village,
about 20 minutes walk from the sea. We were surrounded by wildlife -
I was met at the airport by Ansu mane, who seems to know half of the people in Gambia and the Casamance! Ansu looked after all the border crossings, which went without a hitch.
I had a wonderful time. I was made to feel like a member of Adam's family – we ate African food together every day, undertook excursions to local places of interest (including a friendly French style café by the sea (Dominique's crepes to die for)) and to a local festival. I was surrounded by music (not necessarily of my own playing!). Each evening one or more of the Doughty family played Kora and we were joined for a couple of evenings by a local Jali; Lamin, who played and sang for hours.
All activities took place on the veranda of the house with local people dropping in and out, eating with us and adding their energy to the mix. The locals were genuinely friendly, had all known Adam for years and felt like members of the extended family. A lot of laughter emanated from that veranda!
Adam and Josh are patient teachers – I learned Kora for about 5 hours per day and
my playing came on in leaps and bounds. I recommend taking a note book and good quality
sound recorder. It took me a couple of months to bed-
Adam's compound is an atmospheric place, with all the necessary comforts and a variety of fruit, vegetables and flowers growing in the garden. Adam has made a lifetime commitment to his land in Kafountine and people associated with it. I am privileged to have been a part of his community, even for short time.
I have lingering memories of listening to Kora around the fire, under an African sky amidst ringing, rasping cicadas.... magical!
REVIEWS
Neil’s Review -