"Biharko", where the Basque Country meets Sao Tome
Between 2002 and 2005 musicians from the Lagunarte Company and Sao Tome & Principe met on three occasions both on the island of Sao Tome and in the Basque Country. A CD and DVD pack tells the adventure.
Kristof Hiriart and Paxkal Indo, from the Lagunarte company, are musicians in the Basque Country. Sébastien Boisseau and Olivier Themines have been immersed in the world of jazz music for several years. They joined Akassio, Zé Ricardo, Osvaldo, Visniu ..., who at that time had never even set foot in the Basque Country, on the island of Sao Tome.
A meeting between music from the Basque Country and Equatorial Africa
Sylvain de Zangroniz filmed this exchange during his first journey. An album was also recorded during the second trip to Sao Tome. A CD DVD pack, entitled "Biharko" (for tomorrow), is today available under the ZTK label.
The Alliance Française and a partnership between the Basque Cultural Institute and the "Musiques de Nuit" association from Bordeaux were behind this project which mixes Basque culture and traditional music from Equatorial Africa with a touch of jazz.
Common concerns
Like the Basque Country, the island of Sao Tome - a former Portuguese colony - is today preparing its future with the wish to modernise and a process of cultural reappropriation. The musicians explain this in the packs book:
*Is there a link between Sao Tomé and the Basque Country? I think so. We share the same concerns about our identity, we are similar with regard to the unknown part of our present, with our experience of the past and above all we are both resolutely optimistic about our future.*
A tremendous adventure and a rewarding experience for all those who took part. Not to miss.
Listen to an extract
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