The project with the Giriama musicians was an encounter between the drum traditions and rhythms of Africa and Brazil. The versatility of batucada samba percussion instruments opened a space for us to use the timeless language of rhythm. I learned about the culture of the Giriama traditional bands : Simba Wanga and Zairen Ngome Msagapore, and we confronted the workshop with the percussive music of the carnival, which, incidentally, is going on at this very time.
We play indigenous mabumbum drums, while I brought a basic set of percussion instruments for samba. We are looking for similarities in the rhythms from West Africa that are the foundation of today’s samba and its derivatives. It’s a kind of mix with the colonial culture of Portugal transported to today’s Brazilian territory. Together we are striving for the final musical show during the 3rd edition of the Duos Festival in Kilifi, which as a parade will guide the local community towards the final event of the Festival.
GIRIAMA DRUMMERS : Saruni Thoya, Kanga Mae, Makusanya Kazungu, Tsolomba Thoya, Kadenga Kalu, Furaha Mtawari, Katumwa Kithi, Kitsao Mbaya, Juma Chengo, Saidi Chengo
STUDENTS :Maxwell Luvonga, Joseph Joshua Mugalla, Euphynya Musi, Raphael Boniface Were, Eugynia Anyango, Khloe
Rafał Krzanowski
Assistant in the percussion class at the Instrumental Department of the Academy of Arts in Szczecin specialization: drums. Since 1998, he has been cooperating with the Szczecin Philharmonic, Opera at the Castle, and the Academia Orchestra. Participates in projects of the Współczesny Theater, Pomeranian Dukes’ Castle, Baltic Neopolis Orchestra, Artelier Chamber Music Festival and cooperates with the Polish drum duo Hob-Beats. Since 2004, he co-founded the Sambal band. A member of the international group Bloco X. He gives concerts in Poland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Sweden, Great Britain and Hungary (including CrossDrumming Festival, Bremer Karneval, Festival Kody, Sziget Festival). Initiator of the Bom dia Samba 2011 festival at the Art Academy in Szczecin. He passes his experience by organizing numerous batucada workshops in Poland. He creates Szczecin Bloco Pomerania. Educator in primary music schools. Propagator of percussion art in various scenes. With Prof. AS dr hab. Jorge Valcarcel Gregorio develops the idea of percussion chamber music in the academic band PercusionistAS. He creates “Migiem na Majka”, an innovative samba and hiphop project for the hearing impaired and deaf in Szczecin. From 2006 to 2010, he was employed as an assistant in the percussion class at the Academy of Music in Poznań, branch in Szczecin. And since 2010 an assistant at the Academy of Arts. He participated twice in the preparations for the carnival in Rio de Janeiro and took part in master classes with the best sambistas in Brazil. Master classes in Żagań, Berlin, Cologne, Rio de Janeiro under the tutelage of such famous people as J. Beck, R. Flores, K. Szymanowski, S. Raiz, S. Krakowski, Mestre Jonas. He graduated in the percussion class of prof. Jorge Luis Valcarcel Gregoria at the Academy of Music in Poznań, branch in Szczecin. In 2006, he received a diploma (drums – instrumental pedagogy) with distinction and an award from the Marshal of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. In 2004 and 2005 he was the first prize winner in the Academic Miniatures Competition.
In 2015, Bloco Pomerania is the best samba team in Poland !!! We won the first place at the review of samba teams in Oborniki Śląskie during the International Samba Festival “RABAN FESTIVAL”. In 2016, we look at this success and the title of the best samba group in Poland remains in the capital of the Polish samba – SZCZECIN !!!
2017 is a special year for Bloco Pomerania due to the organization of SAMBA PORT FESTIVAL during The Tall Ship Races. The first festival of Brazilian music and culture organized with such a flourish in Szczecin was a great success,