Artists & Musicians
Africa in Motion will be complemented by a variety of live music performances throughout the festival, as well as by two exhibitions in the Filmhouse café bar and corridors to the cinemas.
Benny Tetteh-Lartey and band
Thu 25 Oct | 8.00pm until late | Lava Ignite Nightclub, 3 West Tollcross (map) | Tickets £5 from Filmhouse box office in advance or on the door
Award-winning Scottish/Ghanaian musician Benny Tetteh-Lartey and his band will dazzle the audience with their unique brand of Afro-Scot music, including the use of the unique 'combuitar' musical instrument, on the opening night of the festival after the screening of Ousmane Sembene's Xala.
An ear for sound, an eye for detail and hands for crafting are just some of the skills required when you decide to fulfil your dream of creating only the third 'combuitar' musical instrument on the planet. Add in some dogged determination, a tatty 'guitar building' guidebook and heaps of musical talent and you might just begin to realise your dream. Pile on some pressure by sharing your workshop journey on the worldwide web and then just as you near completion, accept an invitation to unveil your masterpiece at the opening night of the Africa in Motion film festival. But it's all in a days work for award-winning Edinburgh-born musician and craftsman Benny Tetteh-Lartey who has recently emerged from his creative hub to prepare for his forthcoming live performance that will showcase the unique sound of his self made combuitar. A unique combination of the combolin, first created by the late Roy Williamson and his own adapted 8-string acoustic guitar, Benny's combuitar will compliment many of the songs and sounds he has already written. Such is the growing demand for Benny's music that at his last live gig the sound technician had to literally pull the plug out to get him off stage after fans simply refused to let him leave the stage. An experience reminiscent of the time that Benny arrived at T in the Park a few years back and started busking in the chill-out tent. He immediately captivated his audience and before he knew it the story was making airwaves. Benny regularly features in the top slots of American Idol Underground, an online place where quietly authentic musicians and their fans gather in artistic and respective appreciation. Benny has lost count of the vast number of requests he has had for his albums simply by word of mouth. Benny's Afro-Scot music is strongly influenced by both African music and Scottish folk music.
Visit Benny's home page
Samba Sene and others
Mon 29 Oct at 11.00pm and Sun 4 Nov at 6.30pm | Filmhouse café bar
(photo Jamie Archer)
Joyous jazzy grooves and Afro-beats from Senegal. Original songs with infectious guitar licks and irresistible dance beats. This Scottish-African collective is led by Senegalese musician Samba Sene, who has studied under the world-renowned Baaba Maal.
Visit Samba's MySpace page
Sam Achampon with Sakatumbe
Fri 2 Nov at 11.00pm | Filmhouse café bar
Ghanaian musician Sam Achampon will be performing with his group Sakatumbe - featuring explosive drumming, dancing and singing. The group finds inspiration from a variety of African countries, including Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Malawi, Kenya and South Africa. Sam used to be the frontman and keyboard player for the acclaimed Edinburgh-based band Makossa, and still plays with them as a guest performer. He has since started up his own band, Sagrenti. The performance of Sakatumbe incorporates the use of djembe and double-headed or dondo drums from West Africa.
David Ferrard
Wed 31 Oct at 11.00pm | Filmhouse café bar
David Ferrard is an award-winning Scottish-American singer-songwriter who fuses music with a commitment to political and social change. Commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Abolition of the British Slave Trade, David presents a selection of songs about slavery and emancipation both old and new, including songs written by slaves themselves, abolitionists, as well as local luminaries such as Robert Burns. David's performance will take place after the screening of Return to Gorée, a musical road movie which tells of Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour's epic journey following the trail left by slaves and by the jazz music they invented.
Visit David's homepage
Exhibitions
Tayo Fatunla
Filmhouse café bar will host an exhibition of drawings by the internationally acclaimed Nigerian cartoonist Tayo Fatunla. Linking with the Bicentenary of the Abolition of the British Slave Trade, we have selected twelve prints from his OUR ROOTS series which honours the courage, creativity and accomplishments of people of African heritage. His work encapsulates the power of the medium by being simultaneously political, informative, entertaining and visually striking works of art. Tayo's prints will be for sale; please enquire at the Filmhouse bar.
Visit Tayo's homepage
Tiffany Boyle
Tiffany Boyle is a third year Fine Art student at Duncan of
Jordanstone College 0f Art and Design, Dundee. Her time
spent in Ghana and Nigeria has become the focus for her
work in photography, video, textiles and installation. Her
photographs of Ghana, taken over a 2-year period, focus on
the daily life, culture and traditions of the Ghanaian
people and are the source for a body of work, consisting
of screen-prints, agyrotypes, an installation and an
applique tapestry. The carbon prints in this exhibition
feature Muslim chiefs, village elders and street
hawkers. She chose to embellish the black and white prints
with beads and African fabrics to portray Ghanaians'
energy, pride of appearance, sense of colour and
frivolity. The series of agyrotypes, brown and white
photographs, focus on Teshie, a Ga township in Accra,
during their Homowo festival. The images display the
vibrant spirit of the township people in spite of poverty
and hardship. Tiffany's work will be displayed in the
corridors to the cinemas.
