We had a audio-visual concert with a large audience in the beautiful city library of Mariehamn where we had pictures and videos shown at the same time as we performed. Jeanette Heidenberg was joining us with backing vocals. You can listen to some examples from the concert on our audio section.
We were invited to perform for pre-school children on Åland. The children were fascinated and enjoyed meeting the marionettes and dancing to the music of the djembe.
During the festival Jakobs dagar, we were fortunate to have concerts for the enjoyment in homes for the Elderly. The marionettes and music was very much appreciated.
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We worked with preparing students from College d’Enseignement Général de Grand-Popo for cultural exchange in Finland. Georges made batik clothes for the students, gave one marionette for the journey and practiced music, singing and dancing for a concert in Helsinki. Continue reading
We performed on Åland during the “Restaurant weeks” (8-9.6 2012). The 9th of June is also the day for celebrating the autonomy and demilitarization of the Åland Islands. Some info about the event could be seen (in Swedish) in the news paper Ålandstidningen.
A concert of CLAN of the theme “La parole et le griot” in the Garden Jardin des plantes et de la nature à Porto-Novo (18.5 2012)
Our Center organized a day of sports and development for the children of Grand-Popo a Sunday in March 2012 at Victor’s place on the beach.
Seven happy children and two mothers joined our workshop in how to make your own African marionette the 17th of June! We made marionettes during the day and had music, manipulation of the marionettes and a show in the evening. You can find a flyer in Swedish here.
Here you can find a promotional video that we made from the workshop.
We were representing Villa Karo ystävät ry (Les amis de Villa Karo, Finland) to perform and hold workshops in a charity festival for children in the center of Helsinki, Narkikkatori. The event will be organized by Villa Karon ystävät ry, 09 Helsinki Human rights, Walter ry, Radio SPIN FM, YMCA and other parties.
Here is a short videoclip about our participation in the event!
Camilla was invited to perform at UNESCO world day for cultural diversity. The event took place in the City library in Mariehamn, Åland and was organized byInternationella gruppen inom socialdemokraterna, Ålands mångkulturella förening and ABF.
Here is a videoclip from the event.
The weekend of 19-20 of May the festival MIABA (Marché international d’arts du Bénin et d’Afrique) was seen in Grand-Popo withe local artists, music, performances and exhibitions.
You can find photos from the event here.
We built a new, beautiful roof for our Center the traditional African way. Here are some pictures showing how the work was done.
Some new marionettes have come to life in our Center. Here are some pictures for your enjoyment.
Our doors are open! The people of Grand-Popo, staff and residents of Villa Karo (the Finnish-African Culture Center) and a journalist from the news paper Quotidien Nokoué enjoyed an evening with music, marionettes and theater where the children of our Christmas workshops were special guest stars, dancing, singing and performing with marionettes together with the musicians of CLAN. The beautiful back drop of the concert was made by the artist Gabin Ayohouannon.
On the Chrismas evening of 24.12 we celebrated the afternoon with 52 children in the garden of our Center, singing, dancing, practicing marionettes and contes (storytelling) and in the evening we offered entertainment in collaboration with the restaurant and hotel Saveurs d’Afrique and the musicians of the band CLAN. The children performed for each other with what they have learned to the accompaniment of CLAN, Papa Noël visited and delivered gifts to the accompaniment of the ballafon.
When the schools had their Christmas break 2011-12 we welcomed the local children of families of lesser means to participate in free workshops of marionettes, dance, singing, music and contes (storytelling). We offered food and enjoyment, but also a way for the children to learn and express themselves in different art forms. At the busiest days we had 50-60 children participating in the beautiful garden or underneath the mango tree of our Center. These workshops were also part of the festival Festimarch.
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We were invited together with the band CLAN to perform at Club de Nation in Cotonou with marionettes and music for children for Christmas.
Our Center opened up our doors and the festival FESTIMARCH with a free, professional, three-week-course in African marionettes for a group of local musicians of Grand-Popo in december of 2011. We invited Richard Ahoungassi from Mali to teach how to manufacture and manipulate marionettes. Our goal is to inspire and teach a way to make a living of the Art of marionettes.
The brand new course of Free piano (Fri på piano in Swedish) was held at Kungsvägens Musikinstitut in Esbo, Finland in October-November 2011. One parent wrote this feedback in an email: ”Hi Camilla, you do such a wonderful job, I am so impressed by you!! xxx has enjoyed the days and I think the others have done the same.”
A large group of musicians, friends and partners bound together though Villa Karo and Georges Agbazahou met in Helsinki to talk about the upcoming project in 2012: “Benin day of culture in Finland” and the project of building a studio in Grand-Popo.
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World music system performed at the Music house club at the Sibelius-Academy in October 2011. Mr Agbazahou brought gasps from the audience when he entered with his stilts to start off the concert. Aleksi Saraskari joined with his tuba and Jeanette Heidenberg on backing vocals. The concert ended on a high with marionettes and the audience was on their feet dancing.
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Antti Seppänen visited Benin in the Spring of 2011 where he followed Mr Agbazahou on tour to the festival Fespaco in Burkina Faso and a documentary film was born. During Mr Agbazahou’s stay in Finland the shooting continued for “Mama Africa”.
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Mr Agbazahou was invited by Eeva-Leena Pokela at the Sibelius-Academy to hold a lecture and workshops in West African music during October of 2011. The students were enjoying themselves immensely while learning African beat through playing djembe.
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Mr Agbazahou performed at Katja Kettu’s book release at Villa Kivi in Helsinki in October 2011. Continue reading
Georges Agbazahou performed in Charlesville-Mézière, France, with the company Théâtre d’illusia. See: www.theatre-illusia.com Our old friend Johanna Salo was also there to welcome us. It was a wonderful experience to exchange knowledge with the worlds best marionettists. Continue reading
In September we were invited to play a private concert. Our hosts, Magga and Bror, had invited their friends to listen to World Music System in their home in Turku.
Georges made a guest appearance at the national theater in Helsinki where he was asked to join the Beninese musician Alpha Popo’s concert. The audience couldn’t sit still and joined in the dancing.
