Camp Afro Foli Drum and Dance Retreat 2024

There will be lots of workshops and an artist performance on the Saturday night.

Three days of movement, fun, cultural workshops and performances, with international and interstate artists bringing Africa to the Sunshine Coast.

Enjoy beautiful beach surroundings, world class talent and be immersed in West African culture with workshops in djembe, dancing, dundun drumming, and dundun dancing. Loads of action to choose from and the promised gift of rhythm for your hands and feet.

THE ARTISTS

EPIZO BANGOURA 
Abdoulaye Epizo Bangoura is one of Africa`s leading percussionists . A former member of the famous Ensemble Koteba of Ivory Coast he was born into a family of Griots, highly respected and honored members of this community of musicians and storytellers, keepers of their ancestral traditions and customs, a true living memory of Africa.

Epizo immortalize his culture through his songs, music, dance and legends. His father started to teach him how to play an instruments at three years of age. As a griot he is a respected historian, and considers it his responsibility to transmit his oral ancestral traditions through music: the drum, dance and chants.

Epizo has toured world-wide, bringing his inspiration teachings to many cultures through master classes. A multiple award winning musician and true multi-instrumentalist Epizo plays not only the traditional Djembe (percussion) of his native Guinea but all percussion, including the Western Drum kit, Congas, Piano, Guitar, Balafon (African xylophone), Kora, Goni (African Guitar), Doun-douns, Sangban, Kenkeni, Bass, and Gongoma. With a strong belief that rhythm and dance go together Epizo has performed with a severals dance company in Guinea, France, and the USA and has received critical acclaim for his clever mastery of rhythm and rare dexterity.

Sibo Bangoura

Guinean percussionist Sibo Bangoura grew up in Matam – the heart of Conakry’s arts precinct – surrounded by a family of griots. His mother was a singer and his father a balafon player. Sibo absorbed the rhythm from his infancy and began to study percussion formally at the age of 12. At 14, he joined Boka Junior ensemble and then played with Ballet Matam for many years, until he moved to Australia. Sibo currently resides in Sydney and travels to China, Japan, Singapore and Thailand to teach and perform. He plays with his brothers Mohamed and Epizo Bangoura and has a successful 8-piece band Keyim Ba.

Mohamed Camara

Mohamed Camara is a highly sought-after performer and Guinean music educator based in Melbourne. He was born into the Manding culture in Guinea Conakry, West Africa, whose rich and vibrant musical tradition has been a life-long passion. As a child he was apprenticed to internationally renowned Guinean master drummer Ton Ton Sylla, where he studied djembe, dun duns, and song. He also taught students traveling from Europe, America and Australia.

Mohamed went on to perform in many of Guinea’s leading drum and dance ensembles, including Ballet Bolonta, internationally renowned ensemble Les Sorciers de Guinée (directed by Miriam Makeba’s percussionist Papa Kouyaté), and was a founding member and djembe leader of Ballet Destin. Mohamed has played djembe for master dancer Alseny Soumah, and has studied and performed with Guinea’s great master drummer Fadouba Oularé.

Arriving in Australia in 2007, Mohamed has performed at the Melbourne Recital Centre and Hamer Hall, and has performed and facilitated workshops at WOMAdelaide, Woodford Folk Festival, Darwin Festival, Moomba and Dark Mofo. Mohamed has toured nationally with Asanti Dance Theatre and Muhanamwe, sponsored by the Australia Council’s Playing Australia. Mohamed has conducted workshops at the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne University and NMIT, and has taught African drumming and culture through CERES, the Song Room and Australian Children’s Music Foundation.

In 2016 Mohamed founded contemporary Guinean band Jarabi, fronting the band on the kora, vocals and djembe, and is also a member of African Cuban fusion band Ausecuma Beats – both represented by record label Music in Exile. Mohamed has collaborated with electronic producer Jonny Faith, jazz drummer James McLean through Speak Percussion, was co-writer on a track for Australian film soundtrack ‘Le Champion’, and played on the Cat Empire’s latest album recording.

ALMA VELASQUEZ HUICHULEF
Alma Velasquez Huichulef is a dancer, percussionist, choreographer, Body Expression
Teacher – graduated from the Higher Institute of Artistic Education, specialized in African
dances from the West coast of Africa. She belongs to the first nations of the current
Argentine territory, the Mapuche Nation and she is African descent with roots in the north
and south of Africa.

She participated as a dancer, musician and choreographer in “As I am an Afro woman” dance video of the Ministry of Culture of the Argentine Nation and as assistant director of the black root of tango in the video of “Passion by Gotambo Hidden Rhythm”, winning video of the World Tango Festival. She participated as a dance performer in groups like Didjen Dgaye, Africa Donaba, Dundum Magic of West Africa, Africa Dance in Guinea-Africa, as director and choreographer in the Nni Fare Company and B.A.P. Self-convoked ballet from Buenos Aires and Percussionist in the Cheick Güeye Ballet.

She has performed and participated in festivals such as BsAs Celebrate the Afro community, La Semana de África, Somos Nuestra Herencia (MCN), Soy de la Virgen no Más, FITTNA International Festival of theater and Native American traditions, Dance in Tecnopolis among others.

Shivani Schoereder

From the moment Shivani took her first Yoga class back in 2009, she knew that there was something deeply powerful in that practice that she was keen to explore. Her life has been completely transformed ever since through the power of Yoga and meditation. Her great passions are: continuous learning and practicing the deep philosophies of the East, and sharing the tools she has learned over the years with others so they too can bring more peace, contentment and joy to their lives.

She also loves spending time in nature, singing devotional songs and drumming.

Camp Afro Foli Drum & Dance Retreat begins with registration on Friday July 19th 2pm followed by drum and dance workshops. Saturday night is party night!! This is a self catered event. There are a range of activities, workshops and beautiful surroundings to have you rested, rejuvinated and totally pumped full of West African dance, drum and culture! Camp Afro Foli Drum and Dance Retreat activities include djembe, dundun, African dancing, dundun dancing and more.

 CAMP AFRO FOLI GUEST ARTISTS

 EATS AND DRINKS

This is a self catered event. This means you will need to bring you own Friday lunch and dinner. Saturday breakfast, lunch and dinner and Sunday breakfast and lunch.  You will have cooking supplies in each apartment. You can BYO alcohol, but please drink responsibly. For extra meals, snacks or alcoholic drinks there is a bistro and bar.