Dobet Gnahore to perform in Hanoi
By Tuong Lan in Hanoi
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| Dobet Gnahore in a music show - Photo: Official website of Dobet Gnahore |
Dobet Gnahore, a singer, dancer and percussionist from Ivory Coast, West Africa, will perform at the Youth Theater in Hanoi at 8 p.m. on March 18, bringing to Hanoians traditional rhythms and dance moves from Africa.
Dobet inherited the force of the Bété tradition from her father, Boni Gnahore, a master percussionist who plays with the Abidjan-based Ki-Yi Mbock Company, directed by Werewere Liking. Her voice and charisma, the result of several years of theatrical and choreographic work, has great audience appeal.
She used to form a duo with Colin (in 1999) called Ano Neko, which means “let’s create together” in the Bété language, and toured widely in France. From Mandingue melodies to Congolese rumba, from Ivory Coast Ziglibiti to Cameroon Bikoutsi, from Ghanian High-Life to Zulu choirs, their compositions, carried along with jazz-like sounds, are varied and colorful. Supporting musical instruments such the sanza, the balafon, the calebasse and bongos are brought in to support the guitar, the vocal backup and Dobet’s warm and powerful voice.
Dobet sings in a range of African languages including Bété, Fon, Baoule, Lingala, Malinke, Mina and Bambara, thereby reproducing the Pan-African tradition of Ki Yi Mbock.
Tickets are VND70,000 and VND50,000 with a 50% student discount and are available at the French Cultural Center, L’Espace, 24 Trang Tien Street, Hanoi, tel 04 3936 2164.