Upon getting to 2nd St SW and Stephen Avenue, the location our Noon Hour Concert permit read, I was dubious. It was an empty street with no accoutrements (table, chairs, canopy, electricity) and the rain was falling on the quasi-cobblestone in torrents. Feeling like a wet dog, I straggled into the Downtown Calgary office by the Unicorn Pub. Fearing what water would do to our Senegalese artist Toumany Kouyate’s kora, I asked if we cold have some sort of enclosure to shield him and his valuable instrument. Turns out people cancel entertainment when it deluges — sissies 
— and a trolley stage was available! We gathered ourselves, our artist, and our volunteers and headed to the stage to set up, sprawling our yellow Afrikadey! banner across its steps. Toumany unzipped his kora from its multi-coloured bag, positioned his amp, and opened a case, cords spilling out. He looked at me and asked, “where is the outlet?” Good question indeed. Apparently the kora is a very gentle and quiet instrument when not amplified and it didn’t seem like our moveable stage was equipped with any power. Not wanting to string extension cords from a nearby store in the rain and possibly electrify our kora master, we put our heads together and finally found an outlet on a lightpost nearby. Toumany astounded wet passers-by with his harp virtuosity and a crowd of umbrellaed spectators congregated around his stage. One of our MC’s — Sunday Omony — joined us in the rain to get a sneak peak of the Senegalese artist. A particularly interested onlooker (without an umbrella may I add) stayed until the very end to speak with Toumany and purchase a CD. Overall a fantastic wet concert, a far cry from the hot set Toumany performed the next day at Afrikadey!’s Prince’s Island Park festivities.
What are your thoughts on Senegalese music and the kora? Were you strolling down Stephen Avenue in the rain around the noon hour on Friday, August 13? Comment below by filling out the “Leave a Reply” section.
I saw Toumany here in Las Vegas, where he performed at UNLV’s Beam Hall with his group Bountalo. The word fantastic doesn’t begin to describe the rhythm and power of his music, and the beauty of the kora. I first heard the kora a few months ago at the National Storytelling Network’s biennial conference in the Los Angeles area, and was hooked. Then, to find out this master kora player actually lives in Las Vegas was so exciting to discover. While Toumany is a griot through his music, there are others associated with him that also tell their stories, and I am hoping for that experience soon, as well. We westerners have so much to learn about the power of story, and the west African traditions are some we should learn about, as we could be better people for it.
I know the feeling Debra
I was walking to a friend’s house just before the Afrikadey festival last year and heard ever-so-compeling and sweet music coming from inside. I had no doubt my friend had a CD going… As I turned the corner and into the open patio door, there was Toumany, sitting on the couch just jamming away on his Kora! What a sight and surprise lol I tell ya 
Very nice man, awsome musician!!