Burundi Drumming Tradition - Looking for decent video and/or other

Let's talk about what can be found around that worth having..

Postby Chupacabra » Thu Dec 06, 2007 12:39 am

Hello All,
A long time ago, probably around 1973 or '74 in Montreal, I was with my parents and had the chance encounter to see these amazing dark-skinned people like I had never seen before. They were dressed very differently than anyone I had ever seen in my 8 or 9 years of life. But most remarkable was what they were doing: Chanting, marching, dancing and drumming. They paraded in with their immense drums (ingomas) balanced on their heads while flailing their sticks with speed and precision, chanting and march/dancing as they opened their presentation. I remember my parents not wanting anything to do with this at all but I was absolutely awe-struck and I put up the fight of my life to stay and watch this spectacle - I guess my mother got the short straw because she was the one who stayed while I was up as close as I could get to the square that they were playing in.
Years passed and time faded the memory until I started getting interested in world music and percussion a few years ago. And then one evening on YouTube I rediscovered those amazing drummers and dancers that I had been so entranced by as a child: The Royal Drummers of Burundi. If you haven't heard of them - look them up on YouTube and you'll get a small taste of the power and majesty of their tradition. When I first started going through those little clips with their foggy video and cloudy audio, the memories of that show flooded back instantly.
If there is anyone out there who knows where I can find some decent quality video, of any category (documentary, performance, tutorial, etc.) I would be most grateful if you could let me know. And that goes for any other resources as well. If I ever get the chance to see them again I would go well out of my way - if travel to central Africa was viable right now I'd be over there looking for them! A little too dangerous there now for travel.
If anyone has experienced Burundi Drummers I would be glad to hear from you as well
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Chupacabra
 
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Joined: Mon Dec 03, 2007 2:57 am
Location: Ontario, Canada

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