Here information about the master of West-African classical percussion music : biography, concerts, recordings, ensemble performances, teaching, theoretical and practical courses, musical instruments, workshops, study travels to Guinea Conakry, development and children aid projects for Guinea Conakry — Contact to Mr. Alpha Oulare! *
Übersetzen ins Deutsche? These friendly and useful children’s lessons are held successfully yet for many years, beside the main elder drumming courses and African dance workshops:
Event organized by Alpha Oulare Sundays 3–4 p.m. Ludwig-Hupfeld-Straße 16, 04178 Leipzig, Germany Running time:1 hour Public Every Sunday afternoon drumming lessons for children led by master drummer Alpha Oulare. Registration & further information: Telephone Alpha Oulares 0178-5634016 (also WhatsApp)
At the age of five he learned to play the drums in the national ballet in Guinea, and later he became one of the best percussionists in his country. Since 1998 he has enriched the Afro music scene in Germany. He worked as a musician and teacher in Berlin, Stuttgart and since 2016 also in Leipzig. Alpha Oulare is married husband and has several own children.
(Hear sounds from the album »Alakhawonmaly!! DIEU sera avec nous!! GOD will help us« by Alpha Oulare & Sugé — to be found here)
Form of teaching:
in the group
instruments of different sizes can be provided for the lesson depending on the age of the child, or you can bring your own drum
together with the children, the first rhythms are worked out step by step and practiced in the group
the children are treated with great sensitivity and the individual learning process is accompanied
different levels and previous experiences are included and promoted in the lessons
one-to-one lessons are of course also possible by prior arrangement, or sharing the group depending on the number of participants
other course dates and times on request
the lessons take place taking into account the current health situation
Venue: Hupfeldcenter, Ludwig-Hupfeld-Straße 16, 04178 Leipzig: Meeting point in the courtyard, staircase C — we go to the room together.
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Pour les enfants — hear also some West-African children’s songs, animation for young persons: Comptines d’Afrique
[These are Nursery Rhymes from Africa: »Welcome to the number-one YouTube channel of animated African nursery rhymes — Chain that connects and transmits — Welcoming channel where we play, cook, dance, sing, clap our hands and invent the future — Channel that puts its values into practice, benevolence, empathy, education — Welcome to COMPTINES D’AFRIQUE, African children’s songs channel — Best way for our children to become world citizens« (ibid.)] (Clickon the above images (screenshot) to find more videos of different length and theme. — Listeners and viewers of any age and early readers might learn the French language and African languages by this too. The music appears to be very tasteful. But be careful about television and new media in general, regarding the child’s mental health and natural learning, abilities!)
FROM 80 EURO-CENTS ON: Please support the artist and Djembefolá by purchasing his Music as a digital copy from the provider BandCamp. You can also freely choose the amount of your recognition up there…
He is also THANKFUL for providing music/recording equipment (multitrack recorders, field recorders, instrument and vocal microphones, converters, effects and much more) for his music, extensive albums with new compositions that are to be recorded soon … (Calls, also for performances by his ensemble, musical trips to Guinea as a drum and dance course in February / Autumn 2023, interviews, sound and video recordings, photography, advice, construction and sale of West African musical instruments, editing … to his cellphone / WhatsApp are during the day possible and even desirable.)
OVERALL please notify that this (!) to be a public request for help and collaboration, administrative and aid and knowledge transfer, so by NGOs, religious / humanitarian communities in world – positive, peaceful exchange.
MERCATORY OFFER: These are photographs from the Rehearsal and Workshop rooms of Alpha Oulare and his musical colleagues at the Hupfeld Center area in Leipzig (district Leipzig / Böhlitz-Ehrenberg, D-04157, Ludwig-Hupfeld-Straße 16, building entrance C; the building complex is guarded by security corporations), no concrete online shop… If certain instruments awake your interest, if you have been searching for the approbiate musical device for long and to find here, if you wish musical demonstrations, need help on repair and further modifications as tuning and enhancement / decoration you can contact Alpha Oulare directly to make an appointment into a concrete meeting at this place… Have a look into this living collection (technical note: images might possibly load slowly here at first if not having been cached yet):
Djembé drums from West AfricaThese Djembé drums sound good!They here stand alike eight men.On top here Kalimba / Kalebasse drum.Doundoun, Sangba, Tenkenin, tools…Bolong 4-string harp, in goat fur.Kora, N’Goni and Bolong harps, more…All instruments are handled carfully!Shakers / Shereke, tools…Not for sale: Awesome Tapes from Africa.A view through our window…Occasional here also recordings…(Visual impressions)
A few more images shall follow. The Balafon, so it is said by musical West-African legends, has not been invented / first-made by Man himself, it is of supernatural origin… Underneath its wooden and tuned sound bars lay resonating jugs of clay each to create this fascinating rich sounds. A short audio sample recording of Alpha playing the balafon next:
(Note: Alpha Oulare is demonstrating the African Balafon in free improvisation. He points out not to be a very skillful player himself (yet), rather still student at this particular instrument. It’s a life-long learning. You hear a plain cellphone recording with added reverbation/hall effect, sounding as if from far away…)
Alpha Oulare playing the Balafon, in picture two Kalebasses.The Balafon owns a special bag for rest and transportation.During his Percussion Workshops Alpha Oulare mostly plays the Djembé drum with his students, partly also Doundoun and Sangba, Tinkening. (All photographs having been taken on Saturday, June 25th, 2022, in place.)
Contact Mister Alpha Oulare to test-play and and purchase these original, traditioally manufactured West-African musical instruments, each item is unique and sounds authentically good:
You can call Alpha Oulare also directly so in this issue. Click here to dial his number!
LAST NOT LEAST WORD ON PRICES: Prices. These are fair and not too expensive, no amoral profit shall be made, but the African manufacturers and importing trading/messaging helpers find their acknowledgement. We regard it to be a better solution to obtain and purchase these instruments from first hand other than as from musical stores and major Internet distributors, cheapest used defect items of unkown origin, or non-african forgeries and replicas, or so-called special editions of drums at over-sized pricing… You will always also find help and advise in/on maintaining the instrument healthy and in good sounding shape, loving it as musical friend and partner.
Alpha Oulare on the phone. He is always friendly, and kind to all customers and musical students.
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[Please apologize and hopefully be able to ignore the following advertizement selected and inserted by the WordPress Internet service provider; we can not control forced advertizement in this cost-free website hosting contract (but the pages should, therefor, remain stable in future times too).]
PREFACED: Maybe this Invitation will apply for the later months of the year 2023, which is not yet concrete at all, but the outline and journey content should be found to be similar in both cases — read on:
[Public announcement and invitation by Djembéfola Mr. Alpha Oulare]
MUSICAL JOURNEY TO GUINEA :
Winter holiday workshop in February 2023
2-week drum and dance course from February 5th to 19th, 2023[1]
Let yourself be carried away into the wonderful culture of Guinea! Together with us you will discover its breathtaking variety of colours, smells and sounds — very close to the pulse of natureand the local people.
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DRUM LESSONS. In drum lessons we practice traditional rhythms and percussion techniques on the Djembé, one of the most expressive drums in Africa. In addition, the interaction of the whole group is trained. The three masters of the drum (Djembéfola) Mr. Gillbert, the course instructor, accompanied by Mr. Alpha Oulare and Mr. Mamadie Camara, go into each level individually. The drums are provided.
DANCING LESSONS. Accompanied by the aforementioned drummers, the dance lessons take place with the two professional dance teachers Ms. Marama Konti and Ms. Kadiatou Zuma. For a long time, both were dancers with the national ballet «Kounkuré Bamba» in Conakry, where they currently live and teach several dance groups. Their wealth of experience enables them to handle different levels of dance equally.
THREE MEALS A DAY. Our cook Ms. Fatime will entertain us with her culinary art. As a snack, fruit, snacks and table water are freely available for all travelers. You have to organize muesli or special foods yourself.
OVERNIGHT STAY. 2-bed rooms with simple furnishings, beds with mosquito nets are provided. On the Île de Roume we stay in bamboo huts directly at the sea.
WHAT AWAITS YOU on our trip to Guinea:
Airport transfer (arrival and departure as a whole group),
traditional accommodation (no mass tourism),
3× daily culinary delicacies of the Guinean cuisine,
two-week drum and dance course and
optional excursions, cultural events, festivals and much more
TRAVEL PRICE for the two-week stay:
all inclusive with dance and drumming course 950 €,
only with dance course 785 €,
only with drumming courses 785 €
(simple extension week possible by arrangement).
TIME SCHEDULE
Saturday, February 4th, 2023, arrival at Conakry/Guinea airport, transfer as a group[2] to the town of Coyah[3].
Sunday, February 5th, 2023, free day to arrive and relax.
Monday, February 6, 2023 to Friday, February 10, 2023, daily lessons in traditional dance and drumming, in Coyah.
Saturday, February 11, 2023, moving by boat to the Île de Roume, one hour before Conakry. Free time for long walks into the interior of the small island and along the sea, visit to the village with insights into the everyday life of the people, for example fishing. Spontaneous excursions around the island or a rest day in a hammock — all this and much more is possible.
From Monday 13.2.2023, daily lessons in traditional dance and drumming on the island of Roume, outside by the sea.
Saturday and Sunday, February 18/19, 2023, return journey.
Guinea Conakry region, Los Islands and the Isle of Roume (Sources Twitter.com and Mindat.org)
REMARKS
[1] Variable arrival and departure times are possible.
[2] Arrangements among the travelers as a group regarding the transfer are possible.
[3] The drive from Conakrys Airport to Coyah takes approximately 1½ hours. The journey from Coyah to Roume Island takes approximately 2 hours by car to the port and then another 1 hour by boat to the island.
Dance lessons Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 11:00 and 17:00 to 18:00, drum lessons Monday to Friday from 12:00 to 15:00.
You have to organize the flight yourself. There are various airlines that fly to Conakry: Airfrance (you can take a lot of luggage here) or, for example, Air Morocco.
A visa must be ordered at the Guinean Embassy in Berlin.
Vaccination card is mandatory (vaccination against yellow fever and/or prophylactic treatment against malaria).
For those who have the desire and the time, there is an opportunity to arrive earlier and also to stay there longer. The holiday can be extended up to 3 months, for this it is necessary to contact the organizer Mr. Alpha Oulare (additional costs about 150 € per week for room and board).
Djembéfola ALPHA OULARE / L'Institut Sunjata de famille de Monsieur Djembéfola Alpha Oulare, Guinea Conakry & Leipzig Europe (official homepages — pages d'accueil officielles — offizielle Internet-Seiten, 2022–2025ff.) 
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