Photo credits: Juan David Padilla Vega
Aly Keita Djata: Conversations of the Manden
Aly Keita began his artistic career in Guinea at the age of 13. He then graduated in dance and circus arts at the Keita Fodeba Acrobatic Art Center (2007-2015), where he also perfected his skills in music. He arrived in Canada in 2016 thanks to a cultural exchange project between young Inuit and Guineans for the production of a documentary (Circus Without Borders), shot between Guinea and Nunavut.
In Québec, he has collaborated with Productions Kalabanté, Cirque Éloize, Cavalia, and the Nyata Nyata Dance Company, directed by Zab Maboungou, where he completed the artistic and professional training program in dance (PEFAPDA), and he participated as a performer in the work Mozongi.
Between 2020 and today, he has worked on the creation and distribution of his piece, Djata: Conversations of the Manden. At the same time, he has also participated in music and digital projects such as Opéra de Lévis; MAPP_Montréal; Collectif White Wash; etc., and he has directed cultural mediation activities.
Djata: Conversations of the Manden
Born from an alliance between the buffalo and the lion, Soundjata Keita, the long-awaited child whose birth was foretold by soothsayers, is unable to walk. After years of humiliation, against all odds, he stands up, walks across the village and uproots a baobab. This marks the beginning of his awakening, which will lead him to found the great Mandingo Empire, unifying the regions of West Africa, including Guinea, Aly Keita’s home country.
“To create my piece, I drew inspiration from the Epic of Soundjata, one of the most significant foundational stories from 13th-century African oral tradition. It features Soundjata Keita, whose exploits have been transmitted through song and kora music played by lyrical poets from West Africa, known as griots. I was especially interested in the part of the legend known as ‘The Awakening of the Lion’ to address themes of oppression, courage, metamorphosis, passage, and liberation, all explored through rhythm, sound, and movement.”
– Aly Keita
Personnel
Trevor John Ferrier | Accompanying Musician
