Sayon Camara
Sayon was born in the village of Kouya Sidia in the Sankaran region of central Guinea. When Sayon was seven his father, an accomplished djembefola, gifted him a with djembe, which he constructed for Sayon himself. Sayon’s hands have not left the djembe since. After drumming in the village for over thirty years and serving as Kouya Sidia’s djembefola, while cultivating rice and working for a brief period in the diamond mines, Sayon left his village as a master, solidly grounded in the Malinke musical tradition, for Guinea’s capitol, Conakry. It was in Conakry that his older brother introduced him to Guinea’s foremost djembe player, Famoudou Konate. Currently, Sayon resides in the United States where he conducts classes for students of all ages and walks of life, as well as workshops and performances throughout the US, in Canada, Japan and the world, giving us all direct access to the knowledge he stewards, as a brilliant Guinean musician who is dedicated to lovingly sharing the rich music of his native culture with others.
Sayon was born in the village of Kouya Sidia in the Sankaran region of central Guinea. When Sayon was seven his father, an accomplished djembefola, gifted him a with djembe, which he constructed for Sayon himself. Sayon’s hands have not left the djembe since. After drumming in the village for over thirty years and serving as Kouya Sidia’s djembefola, while cultivating rice and working for a brief period in the diamond mines, Sayon left his village as a master, solidly grounded in the Malinke musical tradition, for Guinea’s capitol, Conakry. It was in Conakry that his older brother introduced him to Guinea’s foremost djembe player, Famoudou Konate. Currently, Sayon resides in the United States where he conducts classes for students of all ages and walks of life, as well as workshops and performances throughout the US, in Canada, Japan and the world, giving us all direct access to the knowledge he stewards, as a brilliant Guinean musician who is dedicated to lovingly sharing the rich music of his native culture with others.
Photographs
Copyright ©2013 Sayon Camara Drumming
Copyright ©2013 Sayon Camara Drumming