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 The kids in Guinea charmed me beyond belief. M'bemba's family is pretty large (5 sisters and a brother in his immediate clan) so we were fortunate to be able to spend quality time with a handful of his nephews and nieces (pictured here left, above & right). They each had their own magic and were eager to entertain! They helped us tremendously in learning key words in their native so-so language, and love candy just as much, if not more than American kids! |
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| Our neighbors in Nongo included Sa (pictured above center) and his family. Sa's house (which my room's balcony overlooked) seemed to be the local kid-hang. On most evenings there would be 15-20 kids gathered for some kind of impromtu fete. Some nights they'd be singing traditional songs, on other nights it'd be nongo-style hip-hop. A few times I had the good fortune of being serenaded by Sa solo (a fantastic drummer and singer), seated under his family's mango tree, jamming the most enchanting rhythms (on a plastic container) and songs with style and expertise, his eyes and grin brimming with sincerity. |
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 It was a unique pleasure to be around M'bemba Bangoura (left) in his homeland surrounded by his friends and family. M'bemba's sisters cooked us meals daily that were out of this world! Lunch and dinner was usually rice based with fish or beef and a variety of different sauces that, once tasted, meant hours of anticipation of the next creation! I was fascinated by the process of preparation and cooking (always over an open fire) and I was able to watch them do their thing from my vantage point in drum class. These ladies could work a knife like nobody's business and we could taste the love and effort they put into every bite. Kadiatou (pictured above with fellow tripper, Jordan) was warm and open, full of hearty laughter and sunshine. |
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M'bemba's brother Le Grand (pictured above left with me & above right) felt like a kindred spirit the moment we met. A fantastic business man and haggler extraordinaire with a heart of gold and tremendous style, Le Grand made sure that all our needs were taken care of (usually by him personally) as well as organizing some wonderful outings. He made sure we heard so-so enough so that we couldn't help but pick some of it up. He also made sure we left Guinea with a fantastic collection of contemporary music. He's anxious to visit and work in the states and hopes to do so by this summer, Visa pending.
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I absolutely fell in love with Le Grand's girlfriend, Kadi (as if it's not obvious!). She had this photo taken of us with fellow tripper, Marc NY at Le Spirit Club Nongo, a great little dance club, walking distance from our house, where we cut some serious rug a few nights. Hoping some of Kadi's moves rubbed off on me. I found out that not only is Marc NY a fabulous djembe player but he is also a fantastic break dancer - ha! |
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| Les Etoiles de Boulbinet (pictured above) was one of the contemporary groups we had the pleasure of dancing too both live and recorded. They performed for us at a private "house concert" and we also went to see them in competition at a local arts center. We liked them so much that we would request the local DJ's play them when we went out and learned they are quite the "rock stars" in Guinea! |