Talkin' the Drum presents:

LAMINE SONKO and AWA SONKO - TOUR of South East Qld and Northern NSW April 2025

SENEGALESE DRUM, DANCE & SONG WORKSHOPS

AND

FILM SCREENING plus Q & A followed by an intimate CONCERT

This tour presents a multitude of incredible opportunities to delve into the rich culture and spirituality of Senegal. Special moments of cultural sharing, learning and fun including:

African drum workshops

- Lamine Sonko will teach how to play the African drum known as the 'Sabar', including rhythms pitched at an appropriate level for the workshop attendees.

- Workshops in Brisbane, Sawtell, Bellingen and Byron Bay

African dance workshops

- Awa Sonko will teach 'Sabar' dance, originating from the Casamance of Senegal. Pitched at multiple levels, appropriate for complete beginners through to advanced dancers.

- Workshops in Brisbane, Sawtell and Byron Bay

African song workshops

- Lamine Sonko will teach Senegalese singing, finding the right balance between accessibility of language and cultural learning. Also includes the opportunity to perform with Lamine and Elliott Orr at the Little Big Bang events. Ticket price to the workshop gives you a free ticket to the Little Big Bang.

Film Screening plus Q & A with the Director, followed by an intimate CONCERT - XAWARÉ

After the workshops, in the same venue, we will be presenting ‘Deup'.

Directed by Lamine Sonko, this short documentary film DEUP premiered at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in 2022. Deup offers a non-linear mosaic of moments, illuminating the metaphysical nature of ancient musical spheres in a remote area of Senegal. There, people live within an ancient 'soundworld', where music, rhythm and ritual are the fabric of collective experience.

Learn more, follow this link:

https://www.1312.com.au/experi...

Immediately after the screening of Deup there will be an opportunity to ask Lamine, the director, any questions that may have arisen for you. This will evolve seamlessly into an intimate concert, which is called:

Xawaré - story-telling through music, dance and songs.

Lamine will sing, play guitar and kora and will be accompanied by Elliott Orr on the calabash. Be prepared for special guests to join them.

This tour begins on Friday April 4th and finishes on Sunday April 13th.

Each of these offerings can be enjoyed individually or we have packages if you would like to attend more than one.

Please look carefully in the ticket listings for the one event or combination of events that interest you. The tickets are predominantly in chronological order however the Byron Bay Tuesday Dance workshop and the Sawtell and Bellingen events are listed further down.

We are so very fortunate to welcome these two incredible artists to our area. It is no exaggeration to describe both Lamine and Awa as 'Artistic Royalty' of Senegal. It is not possible to be more highly 'qualified' to teach the deep, complex and rich culture of Senegal. Lamine, and his sister Awa, are the children of Bouly Sonko, who was the Director of the Senegalese National African Drum and Dance Company for 33 years, and Oumy Sene, who was the Principal Dancer in that peak national company. For those of you new to the African Drum & Dance world it is important to emphasise the significance here. Being an artist in the Senegalese National Drum and Dance Company is the highest position one can attain in the world of art and national representation. It is a akin to being an Australian Olympic champion, Australia's most beloved pop singer, or the highest goal scorer in the Matilda's. Living legends, coming right here to share with you.

LAMINE SONKO

An interdisciplinary artist, Lamine Sonko’s work as a composer, multi-instrumentalist, theatre director and film-maker draws on traditional African embodied knowledge to create multi-artform experiences inspired by his cultural background as a guewel (cultural role) of the Sing Sing clan and Korings of Kaabu, and a member of the Serer, Wolof and Mandinko cultural communities of Senegal. Sonko’s work is informed by a lifetime of learning embodied cultural knowledge within his community, guided by elders through participation in sacred rituals and ceremonies including rhythmic, chant and dance traditions. With his distinctive traditional vocal style, alongside kora, sabar percussion and guitar he defines new ways to re-imagine the traditional African, contemporary synthesis in music.

Sonko trained with the traditional ensemble ‘Ballet Fambondy’ (Senegal) and joined Swiss-based theatre company ‘Compagnie des Cries’ before moving to Melbourne in 2004. He subsequently established himself as a leading composer and performer of afro-jazz, afro beat and African art music, writing award-winning music and performing throughout Australia and internationally, including with 10 piece band, ‘Lamine Sonko & The African Intelligence’, winners of The Age Music Victoria 2018 award for Best Global Album. He has composed music for Grammy-winning album ‘Winds of Samsara’ and collaborated with artists across multiple genres, including composition for film presented at Melbourne International Film Festival & Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (UK). In 2022 he presented his debut documentary film ‘DEUP’ at Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), Melbourne.

AWA SONKO

Awa Sonko is a distinguished dancer and educator, renowned for her mastery of sabar and the traditional dances of the Casamance region in Senegal. Surrounded by artistic expression from an early age, Awa's deep connection to dance was nurtured in the vibrant environment. Raised in Casamance, a region rich in cultural traditions she developed a deep understanding of local dance forms, closely linked to spiritual and community rituals.

Since 2004, Awa has taught in Strasbourg, France and led workshops across Europe and Africa. She emphasises dance as a means of self-expression, cultural preservation, and community building. She has represented Senegalese dance on the International stage, performing and sharing her knowledge globally. Since 2013, she has represented the Waato Siita association in France. Now based in Perth, Awa continues to inspire and educate, ensuring the preservation and evolution of Casamance and sabar dance for future generations.

PLEASE DON'T BE INTIMIDATED - ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS ARE COMPLETELY WELCOME!!! ZERO experience required to participate in the workshops. All you need is the willingness to have a crack, to try your hand, to follow their lead. Rise above your self doubts and jump in on these workshops. You won't regret it!

And of course, experienced drummers and dancers will benefit so much from these workshops.

There'll be a bunch of people present who are already passionate about this dynamic cultural art form and they'll welcome you with open arms. The community that surrounds the drum is wonderful, it's the full family vibe.

In these drumming sessions you will receive an introduction into the world of African sabar drumming. In each workshop Lamine will teach a piece of traditional music, complete with a couple of accompaniment parts as well as a break or 'intro' distinct to that rhythm. Obviously it takes many years to master any instrument so please jump in here and take your first step, or perhaps you've already had some experience and therefore you already know how great this will be.

In the dance sessions Awa will gently guide you through a choreography of a traditional African ceremony. There may be moments where you feel you have two left feet. To that we say "just laugh" and have another go!

In these singing workshops Lamine will share a traditonal Senegalese song. A wonderful opportunity to have a good sing and learn an African song directly from the source. Light hearted and full of joy this will be 90 minutes of learning and fun! Singing together is so healing, such a powerful way to connect with your own voice and with other people. Join this workshop and perform with Lamine at the Little Big Bang - Africa meets Brazil!

No experience required, just the willingness to lean a little outside your comfort zone, the place in which we grow.

This is supposed to be fun so please just bring your smiles and willingness to stumble through and you'll come out the other side having discovered a part of yourself that you can love!

The full schedule (Brisbane, Sawtell, Bellingen and Byron):

Friday April 4

Senegalese singing Workshop

6:30 pm - 8 pm

Happy Jane Cafe - 31 Wolverhampton St, Stafford Qld

Saturday April 5

The Little Big Bang - Africa meets Brazil Brisbane 6 pm

link for tickets:

https://events.humanitix.com/t...

Sunday April 6

11 am - 12:30 pm Beginner Drumming

1:30 pm - 3 pm Intermediate/Advanced Drumming

3:15 pm - 4:45 pm Dance Workshop

Xawaré - story-telling through music, dance and songs

6:30 pm 8:15 pm

Flim Screening - ‘Deup’

Q&A

Intimate concert

BEMAC - Queensland Multicultural Centre

102 Main St

Kangaroo Point QLD

Monday April 7

BEMAC Discussions: Moving Memory

A panel including Lamine

link:

https://www.facebook.com/share...

Tuesday April 8

African Dance Workshop

6 - 7:30 pm

In collaboration with African Dance Byron Bay

Ewingsdale Hall

William Flick Lane

Wednesday April 9

Drumming workshop Sawtell

6 - 7 pm

Dance workshop

7:15 - 8:15 pm

In collaboration with The Rhythm Realm

Sawtell Surf Club
Corner of Fourth Ave and Second Ave

Thursday April 10

Drumming workshop

6 - 7 pm

Xawaré - story-telling through music, dance and songs

7:15 pm 9 pm

Flim Screening - ‘Deup’

Q&A

Intimate concert

Bellingen Memorial Hall

Hyde St, Bellingen

Friday April 11

Senegalese singing Workshop

6:30 pm - 8 pm

Byron Bay

Venue to be advised

Saturday April 12

The Little Big Bang - Africa meets Brazil

6pm

The Playground,

4 Grevillia St

Byron Arts & Industrial Estate

link for tickets:

https://events.humanitix.com/l...

Sunday April 13

1:30 - 3 pm Drum Workshop

3:15 - 4:45 Dance Workshop

Xawaré - story-telling through music, dance and songs

6:30 pm 8:15 pm

Flim Screening - ‘Deup’

Q&A

Intimate concert

KulchaJam

1 Acacia St

Byron Bay Arts & Industrial Estate

Each of these offerings can be enjoyed individually or we have packages if you would like to attend more than one.

Please look carefully in the ticket listings for the one event or combination of events that interest you.

The tickets are predominantly in chronological order however the Byron Bay Tuesday Dance workshop and the Sawtell and Bellingen events are listed further down the list. Apologies for the complicated arrangement. Determining just how to present this myriad of events on a range of dates in multiple locations has stretched my logistical capabilities expansively.

For more information contact:

Elliott Orr

0407372 554

elliott@talkinthedrum.com.au

All links can also be found at

https://linktr.ee/talkinthedru...