For 2017, Indigenous People will be building on the success of the Kakatsitsi educational model, developed over 20 years of touring and working with hundreds of schools and numerous educational authorities. The Kakatsitsi Master Drummers from Ghana will be will be joining forces with the !Gubi Family from Namibia and some Bwiti musicians from Gabon, led by David Mbilou.
Our educational services meet the needs of a variety of different curriculums :
- The National Curriculum of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- The Scottish Curriculum of Excellence.
- The Curriculum of the Republic of Ireland.
- The German Primary Schools Curriculum.
Some more information about the social and health benefits for people who participate in community based drumming and dance, please see here.
A wide variety of options are available to host schools, picking and mixing from elements from the three traditional African cultures with which we are working in 2017 :
Kakatsitsi, Master Drummers from Ghana
The Kakatsitsi Master Drummers are a group of traditional drummers, dancers and singers from the Ga tribe of Southern Ghana. Their music takes from their own Ga traditon and other West African cultures, sometimes rearranging them in a more modern and accessable way. Kakatsitsi have been delivering schools performances and workshops across the country, working with numerous educational partners, on their 13 previous UK tours.
The drummers offer a range of educational activities:
- Narrated and participatory educational performances.
- Workshops in : Drumming, Dancing, Singing / Light Percussion
- A ‘bringing it all together’ performance by the children at the end.
For more info on the stand alone Kakatsitsi educational service, please see here.
The !Gubi Family
In 2017, the !Gubi Family are a group of San ‘Bushmen’ musicians and dancers Southern Africa. The San are one of the world’s oldest cultures who until recently were hunter-gatherers roaming the Kalahari desert in Namibia and Botswana. Available as a stand alone group or in combination with Kakatsitsi.
Educational Performance :
- An introduction to the San people, aka Bushmen of Southern Africa and their traditional of the fireside healing trance dance.
- Call and response interplays to learn parts of Bushmen’s click language
- An introduction to a range exotic acoustic instruments such as the Mouthbow and !Kandodo
- An introduction to the dance styles of the Bushmen and the use of body percussion.
Workshops
- The learning of clapping and singing patterns used in the ceremony.
- The learning of the circular fireside dance and the stamping body percussion movements.
- A final healing fire ceremony performed by the children.
Bwiti Musicians
The Bwiti Musicians from Gabon are fronted by David Mbilou – a healer, dancer, musician and shamen. Mbilou plays a range of traditional instraments including the Mongongo (mouth bow), Ngoma Ngombi (harp that speaks the voice of the ancestors and the Etsika (antelope horn used to call spirits). The Bwiti tradition originates from the Central African Rainforests and is now under threat from the westernization and modernization of Gabonese society. Best combined with Kakatsitsi for educational purposes.
We recommend that the Bwiti Musicians join forces with the Kakatsitsi for educational purposes.
Recommended Arrangements
Whole school performance
The educational performance is normally delivered at the beginning of the school day, so as to give the children and insight into the activities they themselves will be undertaking. The performance normally last 45-50 mins and starts at approx. 9.15. (sometimes it can take a while to get all the children seated which can eat into performance times). The performance can take place at the end of the day, which can enable the host school to invite parents to attend. This can also facilitate a group of children from the workshops also giving a performance of what they have learned.
Workshop Sessions
There are a number of different ways of organising the workshop sessions and arrangements will be informed by a number of choices to be made by host schools. Most schools are keen to maximise the number of children who will have the opportunity to take part, while others will be looking to arrange a more in-depth experience for a smaller number of children. We are happy to discuss detailed arrangements with host schools to arrange a bespoke service that meets their specific needs.
For the 2017 tour, we will be offering 3 workshop activities and each group of children will rotate through each activity, spending 20-40 minutes on each.
Drumming – led by the Kakatsitsi Drummers from Ghana.
- Max number of students – 30-35 (a class).
- Space requirements – a room large enough to have the children sitting in a horseshoe.
- B The space with the drums needs to stay the same – moving the drums from one space to the other will eat in to teaching time.
Dancing – jointly led by the Kakatsitsi Dancers and the !Gubi Family, learning a variety of traditional African dance moves from Ghana and Namibia.
- Max number of students – 30-35 (a class).
- Space requirements – gym, hall, large class room with the tables and chairs at the side.
Singing / clapping / light percussion – led jointly by Kakatsitsi and the !Gubis, learning a variety of clapping and light percussion patterns and Ga / San songs.
- Max number of students – 30-35 (a class).
- Space requirements – classroom with the tables and chairs at the side.
Optional 4th activity – led by all the members of the group.
Finale / “Putting it all together”, whereby all the children come together to combine the three activities in a mini-performance of their own.
- Duration – 15-30 minutes
- Space requirements – hall, gym – the space where the drums are being learned.
Workshop Models
- Workshops Model 1 – 3*20 mins. Suitable for 3 Classes of 30 – total 90 children. Total Duration 1 hr.
- Workshop Model 2 – 3* 30 mins. Suitable for 3 Classes of 30 – total 90 children. Total Duration 90 mins.
- Workshop Model 3 – 4*20 mins. 3 workshop sessions and a finale. 90 children, 80 mins.
For schools with fewer children and limited space, please contact us to discuss arrangements. For more information on a wide variety of bespoke options and pricing,
please call 07766 566691 or email info@www.indigenouspeople.org.uk