Search - Amampondo :: An Image of Africa

Amampondo are a group that give the lie to the popular notion that to be traditional is to be backward. In the words of Dizu their charismatic leader: "We want to go back as far as we can, to find out about the traditional songs to find what is good in them, to bring the old songs into this time that we are living. That is why we involve some traditional musicians from Tsolo in this album, because we do not want to loose this rich African taste, this rich African culture that we have in South Africa." Having discovered this rich mother-lode of treasure while they were boys in the streets of Langa, Cape Town, they are still following their dream, because "We know that the only people who can develop this kind of music is us!" They know instinctively that soul or disco music, appealing as it may be in its way, just does not speak to the African in their soul in the same way as do the vital and original songs on this album. Original African instruments have always been part of Amampondo's intriguing sound and they like to try new ones which they come across in their travels around Africa and the world. To add to the marimbas drums and others like the Ugandan Akadinda xylophone and the Nguni umtshingo flute which have been their stand-by from the start, some of the new ones on this album are a kayomba raft rattle from Reunion, a bamboo scraper and a dundun "hourglass" talking drum from Nigeria.