Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 4, 1994 TAG: 9402050002
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By MARA LEE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
For all those interested in going back to the source, the Afrikan Drum Festival will perform at Virginia Tech tonight.fri, 4 "It's the basis of most of the music that you hear - blues, country, all of it," said Darrell Rose, founder of the group. "For me, it's to give credit to where it's due."
William Whitten, Scottie Williams and Rose will play the djembe, djun-djun, berimbau, shekere and ashiko. The djembe and djun-djun come from the Senegambia region of West Africa, which includes Senegal, Gambia and Guinea. The djembe and Nigerian ashiko are forerunners of the conga drum, and the djun-djun is a reused oil drum. The berimbau, a stringed instrument, came from Angola by way of Brazilian slaves, and the shekere, a gourd rattle, is part of the Ghanan talking drums tradition.
On these instruments, the group plays West African, Nigerian, Caribbean and original rhythms. Because the patterns have been around for thousands of years, it's hard to say when you've really made something from scratch. "You're merely answering that rhythm you heard," Rose said.
Rose, who lives in Charlottesville, has been drumming since 1974. As soon as he heard traditional African drumming, he knew he had to pass it on. "The sound was just something that touched my soul. Somewhere I felt I had experienced it before.
"I've had students tell me they feel like their heart beats faster. We are drums in our own way."
People tend to feel strongly about the drums, he said. "It's nothing you can pretend to enjoy. You either do or you don't."
Drumming and the dancing that usually accompanies it were never just background noise for African cultures, he said. "Drums accompanied a whole lifestyle daily," he said. It was "a functional part of the culture, not just entertainment."
The Afrikan Drum Festival (spelled with a 'k' because there is no hard 'c' in many West African languages) encourages the audience to get up and move without worrying about having two left feet. African dance is cooperative, not competitive, he said. "It's like everybody dancing for the next person."
Having the audience dance "carries us over to another place. Sometimes dancers have worn us out," Rose said. "We're carrying them and they're carrying us, we're learning from them."
Black History Month always creates a high demand for the group, and Rose said that the rising popularity of Afrocentricity may as well. But he added that the jewelry, dreadlocks and kente cloth shouldn't just be fashion trends.
"Everything I mentioned has a historical and cultural meaning. Hopefully it will open doors to studying that country that it came from."
The sound, which he described as a "melodic sensibility," appeals to more than just those interested in the Motherland.
Rose said, "As a whole people are more into listening, into realness. People want to hear something new or different or original instead of pop, pop, pop all the time."
The African Drum Festival will perform at 8 p.m. in Colonial Hall in Squires Student Center on the Virginia Tech campus. Tickets cost $3 for students, $4 for the public. Call 231-5615 for more information.
by CNB