A CHOREOGRAPHIC SHOW

Writing and direction: Tamangoh & Jean de Boysson

Duration: 80 min.

“Rhythm has always been an inherent part of my being. Day and night, the sound of kase ko, one of the main traditional Creole rhythms, soothes the soul of generations of men and women throughout the ages. Our memory is nourished by the blood of those who lived extraordinary lives, who sacrificed themselves for their vision and who inspired generations to come, like this child before the beat of the drum. »Tamangoh

At the heart of the music of the French West Indies is the tibwa, these two drum sticks that we use to set the rhythm. For anyone born in Creole culture, the sound of the tibwa evokes ancestral memory, it is the guardian of rhythm through the ages. The tibwa player is the master of time and rhythm in the exchanges of « question and answer », central to all the musical traditions of the African diaspora. Full of beats and pulsations, the rhythms of the French Antilles are influenced both by the indigenous cultures of each place and by the colonial powers. In the past and now, they reveal social, political and cultural exchanges. Bay Mo Dilo explores these rhythms and movements of this part of the world.

Another major inspiration is the work of the Guyanese poet Léon-Gontrand Damas, one of the founding fathers of the Negritude movement. In his book, « Black Vigils, Black Tales of Guyana », Damascus speaks of an elder who brought people together at night under a mango tree to recount how life used to be when men communicated with animals and plants. Several cultures are involved in these tales, but what is significant is the nightlife and respect for nature. The darkness of the night provides an opportunity for those whose culture has been invaded or violated and those who have been uprooted to come together in secret and share their ancestral traditions and spiritualities. In Bay Mo Dilo, Tamangoh and video artist Jean de Boysson create a scenic environment in which stories and rhythms are protected and shared.