Jan Blake storytellerKouame Sereba musicianRaymond Sereba musician

An Adverse Camber and The Akua Storytelling Project productionin association with mac birmingham, supported by the Albany.Originally commissioned by Festival at the Edge Storytelling Festival.

The performance takes place in two halves with an interval.

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Welcome to this performance of The Old Woman, the Buffalo and the Lion of Manding.

I was lucky enough to enjoy the first public performance ofthis piece at Festival at the Edge Storytelling Festival in 2009.Since then, it’s been a real privilege to produce a series ofnational tours for the piece, working closely with the artistsand a creative team supporting their original work.

Storytelling is a long-standing artform which is experiencinga very real resurgence. For all our fantastic digitalconnectedness, there’s unique electricity when humanbeings gather together to tell and re-imagine stories. Epictales have passed through many generations before weexperience them. Through them we gain insight into theshared emotions and unique cultural perspectives whichhave shaped humanity for many hundreds of years.

In storytelling, nothing is written down. The storyteller is freeto respond to the feel of each performance. In African andCaribbean storytelling traditions, especially, there is also noseparation between word, movement and song. Jan,Raymond and Kouame embody these traditions in theirperformances together. They react differently to each other,to the story and each audience throughout each show. Sowe invite you to relax, share in the camaraderie as it unfoldsand enjoy the experience. We’d love to hear yourfeedback, so please do get in touch.

Best wishes

Naomi WildsAdverse Camber productions

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About the StoryThe Birth of Sundiata Keita isknown and told acrossFrancophone Africa to this day as a warrior story of kingship andbattle. It is not an invented story. It is told as history from the 13thcentury, passed down throughgriots; storytellers, praise singersand guardians of culturalknowledge whose role is topreserve the culture and identity ofa people. During recent upheavalsin Mali, this was one of the storieswhich was forbidden to be told, as all traditional ceremonies andfolklore were banned. Epic storiesare rich reservoirs of culturalidentity, so can be primary targetsin turbulent times.

In choosing to tell this story, JanBlake expressed her respect forthe griots who hold the story’straditions by choosing to tell amore rarely heard perspective –that of the three tenacious womenwho have a formative influence onSundiata as a young boy.

This also reflects her voice as astoryteller, known for her rich storeof tales of powerful women, drawnfrom cultures across the globe andespecially from Africa, theCaribbean and Arabia.

The first powerful woman we meetis Koné, the old woman of the title.She’s been abandoned by hercommunity, who no longer sharealms or ‘jaka’ with her. She hasturned her rage into an immensebuffalo which is now terrorising thecommunity of hunters.

Second, we meet hergrand-daughter, Sogolon Kédjou.Sogolon is known as the ‘buffalowoman’ for the hump on her back,her stoop and disfiguredcomplexion and is ridiculed for herappearance. Yet, she also holdswithin her the secret of Mali’spotential future, as the mother of a prophesised king who can bringthe twelve kingdoms of Malitogether.

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The third woman in this triumvirateis Sassouma Berété, first wife tothe current King Maghan KonFatta. She has her own son, first in line to the throne and thereforehas a vested interest in trying toprevent this prophecy from comingabout.

Jan was commissioned, along withmusicians Raymond Sereba andKouame Sereba to create this pieceby Festival at the Edge StorytellingFestival (see page 21 for moredetails). The musicians grew upwith this story in Africa andtogether all three artists draw ontheir long-standing deepknowledge of storytelling and musictraditions to create the piece.

Another influence was D.T. Niane’sbook Sundiata, An Epic of Old Mali(Longman African Writers), itselfbased largely on the work of agriot from Guinea, MamadouKouyaté. As the griot says, in theconclusion to the preface, “Listento my word, you who want toknow; by my mouth you will learnthe history of Mali. Listen to thestory of the son of the Buffalo, theson of the Lion… the man of manynames against whom sorcerycould avail nothing.”

Naomi Wilds

FAMILytree

Buffalo(symbol of Sundiata’s mothers side)

Koné The Old Woman

Grandmother to

Sogolon Kédjou

Buffalo Woman (2nd wife)

Mother to

Sundiata Keita - The Lion Other names for Sundiata are: Mari-Djata Sogolon

Other Children to Sogolon Kedjou and Maghan Kon Fatta are:

King Maghan also has a 3rd wife

marries

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Lion (symbol of Sundiata’s fathers side)

King Maghan

Kon Fatta (1st wife)

Mother to

Dankaran Touman

(eldest boy)

Nana Triban

(girl)

Father to

of Manding Djata Manghan Djata (Djata = ‘lion’)

Sogolon Konkalan Sogolon Djamarou

married to Sassouma Berété

HUNTERS AND GRIOTS

Hunters Simbon KalabaKirama and Kankajan (brothers who hunt the buffalo)

Griots Gnankouman Doa (King Maghan Kon Fatta’s Griot)

Father to Balla Fasséké (Sundiata Keita’s Griot)

In my tradition, storytellingalways goes with music orsongs, or both. I can’tremember a story told bymy father without songs.The musical bow (dodo)was traditionally used in asmall group of people,usually by the eldest in thevillage, to bring them to theworld of storytelling.

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About the MuSIc

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For the songs in this show, we choseto be free. We chose to use sound,vocals and songs we are inspiredby, which spring from the meetingbetween the three of us. It has alwaysbeen like that when we meet. JanBlake has been naturally singingthese songs with us for many yearsnow. Most of the songs have theirorigin from old traditions of the Gbanpeople. Raymond and I are Gban,from Côte d’Ivoire.

We will choose the songs for this tourwhen we meet and sing together.We will know what they are whenwe begin.

Kouame Sereba

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Adverse Camber is anindependent productioncompany, based amongstthe historic mills of Cromford,Derbyshire.

The company acts as a catalyst,bringing artists, partners, venues,audiences and resources together to create and tour outstanding worksof storytelling and music. We areenergised by the feedback ofaudiences at our tours, so please do get in touch and let us know yourresponses to the show.

Adverse Camber supports theambitions of outstanding UKstorytellers who are reaching for newhorizons in their work. We workclosely with venues to reach out tomore diverse audiences, transportingpeople into the diverse soundscapesand imaginative material of these richoral tales.

We are inspired by the work of artistsacross many cultures for whom oraltraditions are fundamental sourcematerial for their own creativity. Instorytelling, artists and audiences arepart of a shared experience, soaudiences are at the heart ofeverything we do.

how the Show wAS MAde...More about Adverse Camber

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The Old Woman, the Buffalo andthe Lion of Manding began life asa commission from Festival at theEdge Storytelling Festival (FATE),one of the UK’s leading and mostlongstanding festivals celebratingoral storytelling in all its forms (seep21). Jan Blake, known the lengthand breadth of the country for herbeautiful, powerful storytelling, hadworked with musicians KouameSereba and Raymond Serebaindividually for many years but neverall together until the opportunity ofthis commission arose. They’dpromised themselves that if thechance came for them to worktogether, the Sundiata story wastheir chosen inspiration forcollaboration. When Festival at theEdge approached them with theproposal to commission a newpiece, these aspirations becamereality.

After two brilliant premieres atFestival at the Edge in 2009,conversations with Adverse Camberled to a wider creative team workingwith the artists (through resourcesand support from Arts CouncilEngland and the National Lottery)on the creation of a design for aseries of national tours - featuringclothes made from traditionalAfrican print fabrics.

Ahead of the tour, workshopsintroduced audiences to themelodies and rhythms of WestAfrican singing traditions. Venuepartners mac birmingham and The Albany added their valuablesupport to this process. Audiences,which included up to 61% of firsttime storytelling attenders in somevenues, were won over.

‘It drew me in to theatmosphere of Mali, theconnection with past andpresent. The presence ofthe storyteller and themusicianship fit together so well’.

As the collaboration between these artists and Adverse Cambercontinue to reach new audiences,interest is building in a further piecetelling more stories of SundiataKeita.

Sign up to receive oure-newsletters to be the first to know as ideas develop and follow news of otherAdverse Camber shows beingcommissioned, developed andtoured near you. Find out moreabout Adverse Camber onpages 22-23.

Sossocity where

Balla Fassékéis sent

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Segoufishing villagewhere Koné

lives

Memacity where

Sundiata andSogolon live

in exile

Niani city of Maliwhere King

Maghan KonFatta lives

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Jan Blake Jan Blake is one of Europe’s leading storytellers, andhas been performing worldwide for nearly thirty years.Specialising in stories from Africa, the Caribbean, andArabia, she has a well-earned reputation for dynamicand generous storytelling. Recent highlights includeHay Festival, Kerala and Dhaka, the World WildlifeFund’s One Planet Leaders Programme, and theViljandi Harvest Festival, in Estonia. In 2011, she wasthe recipient of the biannual Thüringe Märchen Preis,awarded to scholars or performers who have devotedtheir lives to the service of storytelling.

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Kouame SerebaKouame Sereba grew up in the Côte d’Ivoire,where the The Old Woman, The Buffalo, andthe Lion of Manding continues to be told bygriots - traditional storytellers - today. By theage of 20, he had travelled across the Africancontinent where he visited and lived in Mali,Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Central AfricanRepublic, Sudan, and Egypt. Now resident inNorway, Kouame was honoured Folk Musicianof the Year at the Folkelarm Awards in 2009and tours both nationally and internationally.

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Raymond SerebaRaymond Sereba moved to Norway in1983, like his brother Kouame, and is anactor, dancer, and musician. Raymondhas toured concerts both as a solo artistand with various groups and performers.His richly diverse work has included beinga principal dancer for the Ballet NationalCôte d’Ivoire, undertaking commissionsfor the Oslo World Music Festival, andholding workshops for children andyoung people in Palestine.

Artistic AdvisorHarmage Singh Kalirai

Harmage trained as an actor at theRose Bruford College of Speechand Drama in London, EcoleJacques Lecoq in Paris, and at theLadislav Fialka Mime School inPrague. He has worked asprofessional actor for overtwenty-five years in TV, Film, Radioand Theatre. His theatre directingand producing credits include workfor the Royal National Theatre,Waterman Arts Centre, M6 theatrecompany and the AsianCooperative Theare (ACT) Hedirected Arrange That Marriage forDesiPulp and The Drum inBirmingham, which toured England.In Kolkata, India he directed In TheFurther Soil (Produced by Sampad& Teamwork in conjunction withThe British Council and ICCR,India). He has also led workshopsand taught theatre skills withactors, youth and communitytheatre groups in England,Germany, Norway and India.

Designer Matt Edwards

Matt trained at the Motley TheatreDesign School in London and hasdesigned for Vanessa Redgrave.He was awarded Best Design forthe London New Play Festival. Hehas over ten years experience inTheatre Set and Costume design,Installation Art, Design forChoreography and Film andTelevision set design. He alsodesigns, produces and installs forgalleries and exhibitions and is aqualified teacher with experience ofworking with students at all levels,including teaching in Ghana withGlobal Link. His recent designsinclude The BFG, by Roald Dahl forHarrogate Theatre (Director PhilLowe) and Under A Foreign Sky, byPaula B. Stanic (Director NatalieWilson) opening at the UnicornTheatre and touring the UK.

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creAtIve teAMA creative team worked with Jan, Kouame and Raymond to develop The Old Woman, the Buffalo and the Lion of Manding for national touring.We are grateful to Arts Council England and the National Lottery for theirsupport of this project.

Costume MakersJoanna Close, Molly Bray and Silje Hostvedt Isaksen

Lighting DesignerStuart Walton

Stuart is a Production Manager,Lighting Designer, and MusicComposer who has worked all overthe world with a diverse range ofartists and companies including,Dreamthinkspeak, YoungShakespeare company, SrishtiDance Creations, Rifco, TheEuropean Chamber Opera, RejectsRevenge, Zero Culture, Brouhaha,London City Opera amongst manyothers. Stuart is also a musicianand recording engineer andproduces and performs with hisband The Bloogs.

Technical ManagersGethin Stacey (Sound) and Matt Blackmore (Lighting)

Gethin Stacey runs Sound HireWales, and based in West Wales.Matt Blackmore, based in Yorkshire,works with Northern Ballet Theatreand a wide range of medium tolarge scale productions. This isMatt’s second tour and Gethin’sthird tour with Adverse Camber.

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Company ManagerBea Udeh

Bea joins Adverse Camber tosupport its latest national tour. Anarts manager and producer, Beahas worked in the arts and mediasector for over 15 years includingNottingham Playhouse, Arts CouncilEngland and the BBC. She wasrecently project manager for aEuropean-funded businessdevelopment support programmefor the creative industries sector inNottingham for New Art Exchange.During 2014-2015, Bea was TourProducer for the Mouthy Poetscollective national tour.

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Marketing AssociateJenny Babenko

Jenny has worked with AdverseCamber since 2013 and is now the company’s lead MarketingAssociate, working closely betweenthe company and venues todevelop relationships with new and more diverse audiences acrossthe range of the company’s touringprogramme. Prior to joiningAdverse Camber, Jenny hasworked at The Lowry in SalfordQuays, West Yorkshire ArtsMarketing, Derbyshire Dales District Council and as a freelancemarketer for a range oforganisations. She is currently aboard member for the WirksworthFestival.

ProducerNaomi Wilds

Naomi Wilds founded AdverseCamber in 2006. She studiedEnglish Literature at the Universityof Leeds, winning the CrabtreePrize in 1987 and gaining an MAby Research in Narrative Strategiesin 1991. After working for variousarts organisations such as WestYorkshire Playhouse and SinfoniaViva, she specialised in literaturedevelopment for Derby City Counciland the East Midlands LiteratureDevelopment Network from 1999to 2005. Naomi has produced tennational tours for Adverse Camber,raising substantial funds for artisticand organisational development. In2009, Naomi was one of four EastMidlands producers to receive abursary from Arts Council Englandin recognition of her work.

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Festival at the Edge

Festival at the Edge is the oldeststorytelling festival in England andWales, and as well as bringingtogether the finest storytellers fromaround the world, the festival is theonly event to annually commissionnew and innovative storytellingperformances. The festival takesplace annually over the third fullweekend in July (Fri - Sun) on astunning greenfield site on WenlockEdge, just outside the historic townof Much Wenlock, Shropshire. Theprogramme begins on Friday at7pm and closes at 5pm Sunday.

The Festival is family friendly, with achildren’s festival that runs alongsidethe main programme and on-sitecamping in a designated Site ofSpecial Scientific Interest. Festival atthe Edge - taking storytelling to theedge for 25 years in 2016.

Festival at the Edge 3rd full weekend in Julywww.festivalattheedge.org

Adverse Camber also recommends the following UK Storytelling festivals:

Beyond the Border (Wales)beyondtheborder.com

Cape Clear festival (Ireland) capeclearstorytelling.com

The Scottish StorytellingFestivalscottishstorytellingcentre.co.uk

For more information on whereto find storytelling all yearround, visit www.sfs.org.uk

SpotLIght on StoryteLLIng

Adverse CamberProductions

Adverse Camber produces electricencounters through storytellingand music. We take risks on behalfof new and excellent creative workwhich broadens audiences’awareness of oral traditions.

This programme illuminates thesource material and craft whichhas gone into creating the pieceyou’ve seen today. The destinationwe always work towards is theexperience of sharing stories andmusic with audiences. We hopeyou enjoy the experience, and arealways keen to hear from you tohelp inform our future work. Pleaselike us on Facebook or Twitter, signup for our newsletters and fill in ourfeedback cards to be part of ourongoing journey and get first newsof more shows coming soon.

Special thanks to our funders ArtsCouncil England and the NationalLottery to whom we areexceptionally grateful, our venuepartners, and everyone in thegrowing Adverse Camber team.

Adverse Camber Team

ProducerNaomi Wilds

Artistic AdvisorPaula Crutchlow

Marketing Associates Jenny Babenko and Palmer Squared

Associate Producer Louisa Davies

Assistant ProducerAmy Marsh

Participation Associate Jan Reynolds

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