World Music Discoveries: Drums and Djembes of Burkina Faso

Feb 3, 2004

★ 0.0

Overview

In the African nation of Burkina Faso, drums such as the djembe are more than a simple instrument; they have long been used for communication and storytelling as well as musical accompaniment, as this fascinating documentary illustrates. Explore the role the drum has played in Burkina Faso's history, and how the current generations' quest to move away from tradition threatens this time-honored instrument of oral history.

Genres

Documentary

World Music Discoveries: Drums and Djembes of Burkina Faso Trailers

No Trailers found.

Cast

No Cast found.

This film speaks to the uniquely inherent traits that drummers and percussionists possess as natural explorers of music and sound, and how this particular story explores the challenge of translating foreign voices of percussive expression into the dialect of a Western classical orchestra setting. Five accomplished percussionists, Drum, and a rock star composer, Stewart Copeland, come together with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra to create a groundbreaking work.

7.0

Concerning Violence

Jan 17, 2014

Based on powerful archival material documenting the most daring moments in the struggle for liberation in the Third World, this documentary is accompanied by classic text from The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon.

0.0

The last Balafon Master

Invalid Date

No overview available.

5.2

There Is No Authority But Yourself

Jan 1, 2006

A Dutch documentary about the history of the anarchist punk band Crass. The film features archival footage of the band, and interviews with former members Steve Ignorant, Penny Rimbaud and Gee Vaucher.

7.5

Africa Rising

Jun 3, 2019

How African artists have spread African culture all over the world, especially music, since the harsh years of decolonization, trying to offer a nicer portrait of this amazing continent, historically known for tragic subjects, such as slavery, famine, war and political chaos.

0.0

Tunisia Clash

Jan 1, 2015

Journalist and director Hind Meddeb follows cult and controversial figures of the Tunisian rap scene as they clash with police and the ruling power. Rapper Weld El 15 (on the run from police while awaiting trial) and his friend, fellow artist Phenix, show her around their country, from working-class suburbs of south Tunis to the central regions' desert plateaux.

7.6

When We Were Kings

Oct 25, 1996

It's 1974. Muhammad Ali is 32 and thought by many to be past his prime. George Foreman is ten years younger and the heavyweight champion of the world. Promoter Don King wants to make a name for himself and offers both fighters five million dollars apiece to fight one another, and when they accept, King has only to come up with the money. He finds a willing backer in Mobutu Sese Suko, the dictator of Zaire, and the "Rumble in the Jungle" is set, including a musical festival featuring some of America's top black performers, like James Brown and B.B. King.

0.0

Ferocious Drummers

Invalid Date

FEROCIOUS DRUMMERS is the original groundbreaking documentary about the greatest rhythmic rebels, that was nearly lost forever. In this never-before-seen footage, rediscovered 17 years after it was first produced, dozens of music legends recount what it means to be a percussive virtuoso in the world of Rock n Roll. This documentary film, chronicling their unique and unprecedented journeys, Ferocious Drummers delves into the dynamic real life of modern rock's greatest magicians of tempo. What makes them tick, who inspired them, why do they do what they do, and ultimately, what fuels the sticks and their drive inside the world's greatest bands.

5.6

Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey

Aug 24, 1995

After escaping Russia's communist revolution, Léon Theremin travels to New York, where he pioneers the field of electronic music with his synthesizer. But at the height of his popularity, Soviet agents kidnap and force him to develop spy technology.

5.2

The Miracle of Candeal

Sep 30, 2004

The story of the Candeal favela in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, where musician Carlinhos Brown carries out social and cultural initiatives that protect and enrich the lives of its inhabitants every day.

0.0

Land of Upright People

Feb 2, 2023

October 2014. Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, is the scene of an unarmed uprising that ousts the dictator in power since 1987 and later staves off an attempted coup. In 2015, the country votes freely for the first time in its history, yet real change remains allusive, especially regarding ongoing economic exploitation by foreign companies. In one year of struggle and resistance, the film follows the daily life of four Burkinabes: a musician and leader of the revolution, a local political candidate, a miner engaged in the labor movement, and an impoverished mother, all sharing hopes that the elections will change the country’s path.

No Image Available

0.0

Hands On Drumming! Volume 1, Number 4

Jan 1, 1996

Using a player's-eye-view camera, Paulo Mattioli teaches hand-drummers djembe techniques, tones, and notation. Players are introduced to two Guinean rhythms: tiriba (a rhythm of welcome) and mindiani (a rhythm for the dance of the virgins).

9.0

The Rumba Kings

May 6, 2021

In the fifties, when the future Democratic Republic of Congo was still a Belgian colony, an entire generation of musicians fused traditional African tunes with Afro-Cuban music to create the electrifying Congolese rumba, a style that conquered the entire continent thanks to an infectious rhythm, captivating guitar sounds and smooth vocals.

0.0

Chasing the Sound

Sep 28, 2020

Travel with Major Lazer to Ghana and Nigeria to make the world smaller by making the party bigger. They are collaborating with cutting-edge Afrobeats artists including Mr.Eazi, Efya, Teni, Sarkodie and Amaarae as they explore the culture and history of Africa. Chasing the Sound: Major Lazer, watch now only on YouTube.

7.8

Djembefola

Jan 1, 1991

African drummer leaves village, makes it big in the world. Great drumming!!

6.2

Ouaga Girls

Aug 25, 2017

A group of young women from Ouagadougou study at a girl school to become auto mechanics. The classmates become their port of safety, joy and sisterhood, all while they are going through the life changing transition into becoming adults in a country boiling with political changes. In a country with youth unemployment at 52 percent, jobs are a hot issue. The young girls at a mechanics school in Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou are right in the middle of a crucial point in life when their dreams, hopes and courage are confronted with opinions, fears and society’s expectations of what a woman should be. Using interesting narrative solutions, Theresa Traore Dahlberg depicts their last school years and at the same time succeeds in showing the country’s violent past and present. This is a feature-film debut and coming-of-age film with much warmth, laughs, heartbreak and depth.

No Image Available

10.0

Kick Drum Hearts

Apr 15, 2011

In 2010, the Mariemont Boys Cross Country team tries to repeat the historic season they had in 2009 after they lose their top two runners.

0.0

Under African Skies: Ethiopia

Jan 1, 1989

First aired on TV on the BBC Two on 29 September 1989, this second episode of the documentary series "Under African Skies", a grand project aimed at presenting the rich diversity of contemporary African music of those days and known for its unforgettable memento "A celebration of the new sounds of a continent. " traverses the nostalgic roots and the euphoric contours of Ethiopian music of the '80s.

0.0

Tales of Sand and Snow

Jan 1, 2004

In a quest to rediscover the spiritual values of his own people, an African filmmaker from the Gourmantche tribe of Burkina Faso visits an Aboriginal band, the Atikamekw of northern Quebec. The resulting documentary is a dialogue between those who divine the future in the sand with those who use snow-encased sweat lodges to reconnect with the spiritual world.

0.0

Sahel: Pátria ou Morte

Sep 18, 2025

For decades, the countries of the African Sahel region have been targets of colonialism and exploitation by France and other Western powers. This documentary addresses the popular resistance and new paths of development forged by Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali after experiencing civil and military uprisings in recent years. The film explores the popular resistance that sustains the revolution in the three Sahel countries and was made after extensive coverage of the ongoing social dynamics and geopolitical disputes.

World Music Discoveries: Drums and Djembes of Burkina Faso

Overview

Genres

World Music Discoveries: Drums and Djembes of Burkina Faso Trailers

Cast

You may also like