By Mohalenyane Phakela
MASERU — Alliance Française will once again captivate music lovers with another dinner concert featuring Kouyate — Neerman next Tuesday at Maseru Sun Cabanas.
The event is set to bring forth Malian balafon (type of instrument) whiz Lansine Kouyate, teaming up with the French electric vibraphone sorcerer David Neerman (Kouyate – Neerman), to produce a unique sonic landscape beyond African music.
The duo is more than just the union of two men from different cultures but an instrumental dialogue in quest for novelty.
They began performing together eight years ago knowing that their instruments were distant cousins. They fuse the Mandinka traditional music and jazz into the modern contemporary sound through the vibraphone and the balafon.
Speaking to the Weekender on Tuesday, Alliance Française director Camille Perdereau said the show is meant to foster better mutual friendship between two cultures.
“Like the shows we have hosted before, we are trying to create a dialogue between the two different cultures being Basotho’s and French.
“We are also trying to broaden the spheres of the French language in Lesotho by depicting our culture through music. Lesotho is exposed to quite a limited number of cultural events which makes people crave for more.
“AF is one of the best cultural events organisers in Lesotho and we wish to continue gracing Basotho. People are able to discover something foreign through our events, and interaction of cultures is essential as it makes one open-minded”.
Perdereau further said that the type of music Kouyate – Neerman plays is very different from other genres and does not fall under any genre. She said people will have a whole new experience from which they will derive their comments.
Singer, songwriter and guitarist Aprille Goodman from Tennessee will roll up the curtains for that night’s main act.
