On 28th September 2010, Windhund will reunite at Aktionsradius Augarten in Vienna for a review of their East Africa tour. We will show a selection of the zillions fotos shot throughout the trip, you can purchase Siga’s and Sekembuke’s djembe drums for a more than reasonable price, we will recall some memories of the adventures we had with the garden gnomes by our side, and yes! of course there will be some music as well.

Windhund’s East Africa evening

28th September 2010, 7.30pm, admission: chapeau

Aktionsradius Wien, Gaussplatz 11, 1020 Vienna, Austria
Info: Tel. (+43 1) 332 26 94, office@aktionsradius.at, www.aktionsradius.at

The garden gnomes accompanied us through good times and hard times - as you can see here, Otto and Anne filling in piles of forms at the Customs

Announcement in german:

WINDHUND IM MONSUNWIND
RÜCKBLICK AUF DIE OSTAFRIKA TOUR 2010
“Leinen los” hieß es für die Windhund Anne Bennent, Melissa Coleman, Otto Lechner und Karl Ritter beim Start zur dreiwöchigen Ostafrika Tour am 28. Juni im Rahmen der AugartenStadt-Verabschiedung in der Bunkerei. Nach einem spannenden Zwischenspiel mit den Zumari Hornbläsern Sekembuke & Siga*) aus Sansibar in Österreich ging es zum
Gegenbesuch auf die Insel der Sehnsucht und das Festland am Indischen Ozean. Die Windhunde haben sich immer schon für grenzüberschreitende Projekte, nicht nur im geografischen, sondern auch im künstlerisch-musikalischen Sinne engagiert.
Ein spannender Kulturaustausch, der sich um einen anderen Blick auf Afrika bemüht. Für die AugartenStadt hatten die Windhunde auch einen Auftrag mit im Gepäck: Die Begegnung der afrikanischen Ahnengeister mit ihren Verwandten, den europäischen Gartenzwergen. Über den Erfolg ihrer Expedition sowie ihre Ostafrika-Eindrücke werden die vier Windhunde
samt Begleiter in Form unterschiedlicher künstlerischer Medien berichten. Mit dabei auch Hermine Ritter und Robert Zielasko, Reiseorganisatoren Anna und Peter Kuthan und Reiseberichterstatterin Anna Soucek.
 

Beginn: 19.30 Uhr, Eintritt: Künstlerspenden
Ort: Aktionsradius Wien | 1200 Wien, Gaußplatz 11
Infos: Tel. 332 26 94, office@aktionsradius.at, www.aktionsradius.at

*) Die zwei Djemben von Siga & Sekembuke werden zum Preis von je 100,-€ im Aktionsradius Wien verkauft.

Three weeks, five concerts, unexpected tunes and new acquaintances – we have experienced a tremendously rich and interesting time in East Africa! Thanks ever so much to Peter Kuthan, who raised funds and prepared the tour, to Anna Kuthan, our magnificent tour organiser and host in Zanzibar, and also to Dismas Sekibaha, who never tired of providing us with whatever needed (from fishing lines to profound analyses of politics). Thanks also to the partner organisations and to the many individuals who made the trip worthwile!

On Monday afternoon, the musicians Melissa Coleman, Otto Lechner and Karl Ritter, as well as tour manager Peter Kuthan and online diarist and travel chronicler Anna Soucek arrived back in Vienna, by plane and not dhow obviously, whilst Anna Kuthan returned to home to Zanzibar. Now it will take some weeks and months for the impressions to settle and perhaps, who knows, some future projects will emerge from the experiences and contacts in Tanzania and Kenya.

This, however, doesn’t mean that this blog will cease to exist – no! We will add further posts and update old ones, so do keep an eye on this site. There is still a lot to say and to listen to. World-exclusive material!

And there is one announcement to make: on 28th September 2010, the Windhund and their entourage will present results, bits of music, snaps of information, intermediate thoughts and certainly dhow loads of images at the Aktionsradius Augarten, Gaußplatz 11, 1020 Wien. All welcome! Details to follow! Please post comments!

On Friday, the rest of the Windhund tour company – Anne, Anton & Felix Bennent, Hermine Ritter, Robert & Zoe Zielasko had returned to Austria on the same day – arrived in Nairobi. As for the traffic situation, it seems to be only a little better than Dar es Salaam. In the central business district there are a few more skyscrapers, though.

After a rest and a walk through the city center, the Windhund gathered at Nairobi’s branch of the German cultural organisation Goethe institute for the soundcheck. As soon as the doors were opened, a crowd of people came flocking in, filling the auditorium up to the last seat.

The Windhund were introduced by the Goethe Institute’s head, Johannes Hossfeld, and warmly welcomed by Christian Hasenbichler, Austrian Ambassador to Kenya.

The following concert was just magnificent – not only for the musicians. “It was a trip which I didn’t want to end!”, said one of the nearly 300 listeners attending the Windhund concert at the Goethe Institute in Kenya’s capital Nairobi. And indeed, the last concert of the tour turned out to be the highlight of the performances in East Africa: with a highly interested audience, fine acoustic conditions in an enclosed concert room, a high quality cello for Melissa and the Windhund with three weeks of East African music experiences behind them, the concert was a perfect end to their tour.

Thanks a lot to the hosts and the truly wonderful audience!

Here’s an excerpt of the performance, with Otto Lechner (accordion, voice), Melissa Coleman (cello) and Karl Ritter (guitar): nairobi_otto (mp3, 8 minutes)

The one thing that all of us will remember of the Tanzanian capital Dar es Salaam is it’s desastrous traffic: wherever you go, unless it is after midnight and before sunrise, you get stuck in traffic jams. Congestion everywhere. Thus we didn’t see much of the city’s tourist attractions (apparently there aren’t that many, anyway), however we had the chance to visit the hospital of CCBRT (Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation in Tanzania), an NGO providing health services to the poorest, with support by the charity organisation Light for the World.

CCBRT, a very well-run and friendly hospital, organised a concert at a local sportsground in Temeke, one of the poorest areas in the outskirts of Dar es Salaam. Upon arriving on the site, the musicians were surprised and excited by the environment: hours before the concert a crowd of some 300 people, amongst them many women and children, had gathered to welcome the Windhund and the singer Bi Kidude, who is a legend not only on the island of Zanzibar.

Siga and Sekembuke backstage

Otto Lechner, interviewed by Austrian journalists before the concert

The concert started with the performance by Bi Kidude and her musicians, some of whom had joined the Windhund workshop at Zanzibar’s DCMA a week ago.

Bi Kidude was followed by the appearance of Siga and Sekembuke on the Zumari horns, who managed to catch the attention of the very youngest audience with a musical-clownesque entry.

Jovin, who presented the musicians, explained the purpose of the visit to this particular site: on the following day, CCBRT offered free eye testing right here, and the concert served also as a call for participation.

The concert was attended by the Austrian honorary consul, Mr. Suitner, and his wife. The VIP-lounge, by the way, was quickly dismantled after the concert. Athletes, who use the Temeke ground for their football training, needed the space…

Bagamoyo is a town on the East shore of Tanzania, an hour car ride from Dar es Salaam and some 3 hours by ferry from the island of Zanzibar. The group arrived here on Monday, 12th July evening, and used Tuesday for an extensive walk along the beach and through the Old Town of Bagamoyo.

According to Tanzanians and to travellers alike, Bagamoyo is completely different than Zanzibar and other places in the country, a place hard to describe for the burdens of history and the hardship of contemporary life create quite a special atmosphere. In the late 18th century Bagamoyo was established as a hub for trading ivory and slaves, with people from the hinterland being transported to Bagamoyo and from here to their destinations further on. In the 19th century the Germans chose Bagamoyo to be the capital of their colony, Deutsch-Ostafrika, a plan which was dismissed after some years. The remnants of the administrative buildings, a school, a post office and the “Boma” headquarter are nowadays material ruins of a colonial utopia.

It may sound paradox that in this environment one of Tanzania’s most prestigious art schools including a renowned concert and theater hall are situated. TaSUBa theatre hosts weekly events, including film screenings and concerts (http://tasubatheatre.weebly.com), numerous cultural events, but never before it was played by an Austrian band.

The Windhund’s concert on Tuesday, 13th July, was well prepared and accompanied by an excellent sound engineer named Justin – thanks again! Even though attendance was poor at the very beginning, more and more people kept flocking in, making this one of the most rewarding Windhund appearances of the tour.

Concert excerpt: bagamoyo_instrumental (mp3, 1′35”)

The Windhund (Karl Ritter, Melissa Coleman and Otto Lechner) on stage...

... joined by the Zumari horn musicians Siga and Sekembuke from Tanzania

One of the finest passages was Anne Bennent’s recital of the poem “She”, written by the Zanzibar based artist Dismas Sekibaha. Listen in:

bagamoyo_recital (mp3, 4 minutes)

Last night, Windhund played at the Old Fort, in the framework of ZIFF, Zanzibar International Film Festival. With some organisational problems and a very short & rigid time slot in the progamme, the concert wasn’t exactly legendary. However, the musicians gave their best, against all odds, and the audience appreciated it!

Here are some impressions, just before heading to Bagamoyo on the Tanzanian mainland, where Windhund will play on Tuesday night…

ZIFF at Old FortWindhund on stage

Windhund on stage

Sometimes pictures tell more than words. We have added a new category to this travelogue: “Felix’ Eye” presents selected views of the trip, concerts, acquaintances and every day life, as seen by Felix Bennent, one of the kids accompanying the Windhund on their East Africa Tour. Have a look – click the icon “Felix’ Eye” at the top right of this page. Happy to get your comments!

On invitation of Light for the World and its partner institution CCBRT, Windhund and some special guests (including Taarab legend Bi Kidude and violin poet Matona from Zanzibar) play a concert in Dar es Salaam on 15th July, starting at 3pm. Come and bring your friends!

Here’s the flyer in Kiswahili:

From 5th to 8th July, the Windhund musicians are giving workshops at the Dhow Countries Music Academy in Zanzibar – and today, on the second day, we welcomed Bi Kidude, a legend of Taarab music in Zanzibar and the rest of the world.

The session started off with a traditional song, which Windhund had the chance to learn at yesterday’s workshop kick off. Bi Kidude, who had just returned from a concert trip to Poland, joined in with her unique, strong voice.

Here’s the recording of the beginning of the session:

Windhund workshop with Bi Kidude (mp3, 1′18”)

Later on, the Windhund as well as the workshop participants improvised with two accordions, guitar, cello, two violins and voices, finishing with a Bosnian tune that Otto presented yesterday. Bi Kidude’s presence and participation were a great benefit to the morning session. To be continued on 15th July in Dar es Salaam, at a joint concert by Windhund, Bi Kidude and her trio, organised by CCBRT.

Bi Kidude and Otto Lechner in perfect harmony

Ruins of Mtoni Palace

Princess Salme was a daughter of the Sultan of Zanzibar and Oman, who resided in Mtoni Palace in Zanzibar. She fell in love with a German tradesman and followed him to Hamburg, abandoning her life at court, converting to Christianity and taking on the name Emily Ruete. Later she wrote an autobiography entitled “Memoirs of an Arabian Princess from Zanzibar” – a precious insight into a woman’s life at the Sultan’s court.

The remnants of Mtoni Palace give an idea of this live – however the ruins need some restauration work and archeological research to gain more knowledge and preserve the edifice for the future.

Windhund carry their instruments to Mtoni Palace

Windhund and the Zumari horn players Sekembuke & Siga from Zanzibar were invited to play a concert in this unique setting, incorporating references to Princess Salme by Anne Bennent’s recital of passages from the Memoirs. Proceeds of the evening went to the restauration and preservation of the Palace.

Audience at Mtoni Palace, 4th July 2010

The concert, well-attended by some 70 guests, started right after the Muezzin’s evening prayer with an improvisation by Karl Ritter (guitar), Otto Lechner (accordion) and Melissa Coleman (cello). Actress Anne Bennent read from the Memoirs in english language.

Anne Bennent

The second half of the concert – after a traditional coffee ceremony with cardamom flavoured coffee served with various sweets – started with a captivating cello solo by Melissa Coleman and continued with Anne’s beautiful performance of Arthur Rimbaud’s poem ‘The Drunken Boat’, accompanied by Karl Ritter on the guitar. Otto Lechner came in with an accordion solo, touching, sensitive and a wee bit sentimental too.

Sekembuke, Siga, Karl Ritter, Otto Lechner, Melissa Coleman (from left)

mtoni_excerpt (mp3, 45 seconds)

Sekembuke & Siga entered with their Zumari horns from the back corridors of the Palace, making their way onto the stage.  As Windhund have experienced before, at concerts and private sessions in Austria, each time they meet the Zumaris turns out differently. At Mtoni Palace, the Zumaris stepped back a little bit, leaving more space for improvisation and solos of the less strong instruments.

Right after the concert, Otto Lechner commented on the reunion with Sekembuke & Siga, clearly happy with the outcome of the concert:

Otto Lechner’s comment (mp3, 40 seconds, in German language)

And one of Zanzibar’s most acclaimed musicians, Mohammed Issa Haji (aka Matona) made some very positive remarks on the concert evening, which he found to be an interesting approach between two musical universes, yet to be explored further in the next couple of days…

Matona’s comment (mp3, 50 seconds, English)