My activities so far

Since 1982 I have been a teacher in African dance and African drums both for children and adults at Studiefrämjandet in Stockholm and I have introduced traditional West African games for children.

I have taught children from 36 months to elderly people up to 75 years old and have arranged theme days for schools at all levels and at universities, hospitals, churches and companies. I have performed at Stockholm Water Festival in 1994, 1995 and 1996 and at the Alternative Nobel Price ceremony. At a rehabilitation center I have taught patients African dance as a different form of training and I have performed on the Swedish radio and TV.

For my students I have arranged journeys to West Africa, where they have had the opportunity to listen to African music, to see African dancers and meet the African people both in the cities and the villages. At the same time the Africans have taken part in Swedish music, singing and dance.

Between 92 and 95 I had my own local, “Yamaya” (mandinka for cultural gathering place), at Gullmarsplan in Stockholm. Many of the children who participated there are still talking about it.

During the last few years I have written down old Gambian stories and even written my own stories from The Gambia. Through Studiefrämjandet in Stockholm I have edited a book called “The Story Teller’s Children” and a CD to go with it. The stories have been recorded by a Swedish actress Ingrid Luterkort and between the stories there are short pieces of African music and singing. Thanks to that I have attended a couple of festivals for authors, where I have read and told my stories. As a musician I have performed at different music festivals in Scandinavia and in Latvia.