Join us for a unique and vibrant end-of-year gathering as we celebrate African rhythm, music, culture, and community! 🥁
📅 Date: Saturday 16th December
🕒 Time: from 4:00pm
📍 Location: Upwey RSL, 1 Mast Gully Rd, Upwey (Opposite Upwey Station)
What to Expect:
🥁 All-In Drum Jam Session: Bring along your drum for an unforgettable all-in jam session in the afternoon. Let's create a rhythmic masterpiece together!
🤩 Live African Percussion & Song: Immerse yourself in the captivating beats of Mady Keita and special guests from the Super Mande Percussion ensemble.
📚 Bookings Essential:
Secure your spot by booking in advance—limited spaces available!
* Minimum donation $1 needed to book in. *
* Each booking is for 1 ticket. To book multiple tickets, repeat the booking process for each additional ticket you would like. *
🆓 Free Entry:
This celebration is open to all, and aside from the minimum $1 donation needed to book in, entry is otherwise free!
💖 Donations Welcome:
Donations of any amount above $1 are also gratefully accepted to support the continuation of events like these.
🚗 Plenty of On-Site Parking: Hassle-free parking available, so you can focus on enjoying the music and festivities.
🍽️ Great Menu & Drinks: Indulge in a delicious array of food and drinks from the Poppies Restaurant and bar. Indoor & outdoor dining. There's a kids menu too.
👨👩👧👦 Family Friendly: This event is perfect for families, and there's even an outdoor kids playground, so bring the whole crew for an experience of cultural exploration and fun.
🥁 BYO Drum: If you have a drum, bring it along and be part of the rhythm-making magic!
Bookings available HERE.
Let's create memories, celebrate African culture, and bring in the year-end with a bang. Share the event with your friends and family. See you there! 🌟
#AfricanRhythms #EndOfYearCelebration #CommunityVibes
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Against the backdrop of the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Grand Final Day, Mady Keita brought out the Bambara beats to welcome a massive crowd of 100,000 or so guests as they entered the stadium.
The vibrant energy of the rhythms added an extra layer of excitement in the lead up to the game, and was well received by fans and their mascots from both sides.
What a crowd and what a game it was! 👋🏿🥁🏆
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You may not expect to find us drumming by the beach on a cold winter's morning in August, but check out the video below to see what happened when we did...
Definitely one of the coolest conga lines we've seen!
This was all part of the 9 for 9 Challenge in support of youth mental health.
Everyday in August these brave swimmers are spending 9 minutes in the cold waters, to raise awareness for the 9 Australians that die by suicide each day.
Nine suicides each day amounts to a total of 3,285 people each year, which is an alarming statistic that highlights the importance of raising awareness and support for mental ill-health.
The money raised from this challenge will be going to an awesome ‘for purpose’ preventative mental health organisation, created and driven by young people, for young people.
If you'd like more information or to contribute with a donation to this worthy cause, see the link below.
www.9for9.com.au
🙌🏿
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The Super Mande Masters - Mady and Amadou - are proud to be presenting on West African music, history and culture for University of the Third Age. This is part of a broader program on the Power of Africa being run throughout 2023.
The Power of Africa program covers the trials, triumphs and influences on the 55 countries of Africa, including the past impacts of slavery, colonialism and religion, through to issues arising from the new colonisers, and the role of African countries in the emerging cold war between China, the US and Russia.
Here is some of the feedback received on our contribution to the program:
"We really appreciated the explanations and history of the instruments. The kora is so beautiful and soulful. And Mady in his traditional dress and his aura of wisdom juxtaposed Amadou's modern respect for the old ways and his heritage.
Giving everyone their own experience of drumming in a call and response rhythm was great fun. My class of 28 seniors walked out with a smile on their faces - happy with a dynamic, informative and interactive experience. Well done and thank you, it was very special."
A big thank you to the U3A for running such an important and enlightening program and for inviting Super Mande Percussion to be involved.
Masters Amadou, Abli and Mady were keeping the Mande music and traditions alive for the 24 Festival in Wyndham this year.
24 hours of art, live music, movies, roving performances, light installations and more were on display at Wyndham City's newest festival, and a first for Melbourne's west.
Thanks to all who braved the wintery weather, and to the festival team for their kind words:
"...Thank you to Super Mande Percussion for participating in our first ever 24 event on the weekend! Whilst the weather gods were not kind, they radiated so much energy and warmth on and off the stage and we really appreciate you being involved."
Here's a video with some of the action.
#24WERRIBEE @wyndhamcitycouncil
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Our roving drummers were back for a big night at the MCG this month to support youth homelessness in Melbourne.
"Sleep At The G" is a one night only event run by Melbourne City Mission, where supporters get to spend a night at the iconic MCG, while raising awareness and funds to make a difference in the lives of young people experiencing homelessness.
If you'd like to work together with us to make a positive impact and show your support – contributions are still being gratefully accepted via this donation link.
Peace and love.
#SleepAtTheG #SleepAtTheG2023
@melbcitymission
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We're excited to share the news that the multi-talented Akemi, from our Mount Waverley drumming academy, is performing her first solo comedy show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival this year.
Akemi has been working hard to make this show happen, and she's found a way to integrate her djembe into the routine, so we're sure you'll love it!
The show is called Unco(hesive) and runs from the 11th to 16th April, 7:30-8:30pm, at The MC Showroom in Prahran. Contact us for a $5 discount code which can be used for all shows except for the 11th April.
Check out Akemi's comedy show and support a fellow drum lover!
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Always an action-packed week in the Super Mande calendar, it was a joy to take part in all the recent festivities of Harmony Day and Cultural Diversity week.
We especially love all the visits to our local kinders and schools.
As described by one "...the children were able to engage in African music and dance whilst playing some amazing instruments... Mady also sang some traditional folk rhymes and made beats for the children to listen to, this was a great opportunity for children to become involved in other cultures".
If you'd like to learn more about our kids workshops and incursions, head across to our schools or pre-schools page for more information.
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The Super Mande Masters - Mady Keita & Amadou Suso - recently visited the beautiful gardens and community of Millers Homestead, bringing some Mande ambience for all to enjoy over a peaceful picnic lunch.
The historic building of Millers Homestead and its leafy green surrounds created the perfect stage for the first in a series of summer music events, and it was a delight for our djembe kora duo to perform for the fully booked crowd.
Relax and enjoy some of the performance through the link below. 😎🎵👌🏿
This was all made possible thanks to the support of Eastern Regional Libraries & Knox City Council. 🙌
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Percussion music ensembles are an integral part of how we celebrate a wedding in Africa, and it's a joy to bring this cultural tradition here to Australia.
We thought you might enjoy this video from a wedding that we performed at recently in Melbourne.
Congratulations to the happy couple!
If you happen to be planning a wedding or know anyone who is, don't forget to invite Mady & team Super Mande.
You can find more information on our wedding and reception services here or get in touch with any queries.
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Mady Keita's African Drumming Academy ventured onto stage at the Collingwood Town Hall last week as part of the Indonesian Diaspora Network's Multicultural Fair.
Here's one of our favourite video highlights of the day... 🕺🏽💃🏽
It was an awesome performance by everyone, beautiful crowd on the dance floor and positive vibes all round.
To top it off, we were honoured to accept this Certificate of Appreciation from the IDN. 🙌🏿🤩
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A glorious weekend it was, soaking up the Summery weather (in Winter) with a wonderful gathering of the South African community by the beach.
There was plenty of excitement in the air for a live broadcast of the Springboks vs Wallabies rugby test, and plenty of cool Super Mande rhythms to keep the sell-out crowd entertained in the lead up to the event.
Big thanks to our hosts at Beach Bar Carrum.
🏖 😎 👍🏿 🇿🇦
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A night of fun under the moonlight awaits!
Come along and dance off the winter chill to the beats of Super Mande Percussion, The Presets (DJ Set), Sneaky Sound System and more, while being immersed in some awesome art installations and light projections.
Tickets are FREE and available via the link below:
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What a super atmosphere at the African Festival 2022 at Queen Victoria Market last weekend!
Master Mady Keita and kora virtuoso Amadou Suso had the crowds captivated with their authentic sounds from Mali and Gambia - and the Super Mande stall ran throughout the event with special guests Kwame, Emmanuel, Abli, Ago, Shabba & Octaves.
A big thanks to everyone who came out to support.
Check out this video with some of the festival highlights.
Super Mande Percussion was proud to be representing Mali culture at the 2022 Feast for Freedom - an inspiring fundraising effort by the local community to support the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre.
The ASRC provides essential housing, healthcare, employment and food support for refugees and people seeking asylum.
If you’d like to donate you can do it through the link below:
Thanks so much for everyone who has been able to support so far!
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It's been a busy time of the year celebrating Harmony Day and Cultural Diversity Week.
One of the highlights was coming together with Superhoodz Crew - official dancers of the Melbourne United Basketball team - to perform for their Multicultural Round festival.
Check out the video below to enjoy an awesome display of non-stop energy from these guys. Multiculturalism in action!
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Moomba's just around the corner - starting this Friday - and we're super excited to be back!
Check out all the entertainment and join one of our dance workshops where you can learn some cool new moves by the palms lawn... 🌴🕺🏿
You can access the full program through this LINK.
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We're very excited to share the news that the incredible Amadou & Mariam, ambassadors for Mali music, are headed back to Melbourne!
Amadou & Mariam have combined their love story with a musical career for the past 40 years. Their last tour to Melbourne was back in 2013 so this is a rare and special occasion for all who love Mali music.
‘Their music [is] incredibly expressive – they wholeheartedly play with the edge of the sounds and the genres they explore.’ KEXP
‘They have become an African power couple, two of the continent’s most prominent cultural exports.’ Pitchfork
Tickets can be purchased HERE.
Here's a video highlight from our recent African Drumming Academy performance at the Fair@Square Fair Trade Festival, recently held at the Immigration Museum in Melbourne.
African Drumming Academy - Video Link
As you can see, super energy and awesome drumming from all our students - and a perfect way to end 2021!
A big thanks to Masters Mady and Abli for bringing everyone together in rhythmic unison and providing this unique opportunity for our drummers to connect again after the many pandemic challenges of the year.
If you'd like to drum with us in 2022, there's a NEW TERM of classes starting soon so get in touch and this could be you up on stage with the Masters!
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The program will focus on hand drumming (djembe drums), as well as base drums (doun douns) and other types of percussion instruments such as bells and shakers.
Parents are welcome to join, and siblings can attend at a discounted rate.
For more details, bookings & enquiries visit our School Holiday Programs page.
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For all who are fascinated to learn more about African culture, we're super proud to announce the beginning of the latest African Film Festival, New Zealand, on behalf of our talented friend from Mali, Boubacar Coulibaly (Chair of the Festival).
The festival will be running online this time around, with movies available for streaming from Friday 10 December 2021 through to Friday 7 January 2022.
Take some time to relax over the holidays with this wonderful new collection of films from right across the African continent.
Just in time for Summer, we're excited to be offering a new range of locally handmade African style tops.
Brightly coloured fabric on the front, and black on the back, they're designed to look great on all shapes and sizes.
Features include:
Great for casual wear, performance wear and anything in between. Simply throw it over a black t-shirt or singlet top and tie together at the sides.
Check out all the designs in store or view and order online here.
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Very excited to be a part of this!
The Grand Opening Weekend of the new 2-0 Artisan & Vintage market is coming up on 20-21 November at the site of the former Caribbean Gardens Market.
Come along to explore all the ethical, sustainable and eco-friendly displays and support local business.
Mady will be there with his market stall and would love to see you there!
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We're missing all our students, friends and supporters since the lockdown started in Melbourne and wanted to share some rhythms with you all to keep your spirits up in the meantime.
So we've decided to create a short series of video clips with some cool rhythms which were all recorded before the lockdown. See the link below for the first video in the series and keep an eye out on our Facebook page for more videos.
Feel free to simply listen and enjoy, or jam along with us from home if you've got a drum handy. If need be, you can always use a towel or two to soften the sound and keep the neighbours happy! One towel to cover the playing surface, and another rolled up inside the middle of the shell.
Hope that you enjoy connecting with us through the rhythms and we can't wait to drum with you again in real life soon.
Peace and love from all the Masters here at Super Mande Percussion - Mady, Kofi K and Abli.
Finding the right djembe to suit your needs can seem overwhelming when there's so many options to choose from.
To make things easier, you might be interested to check out our djembe drum buying guide if you haven't already. It's full of useful information on:
This will quickly get you up to speed with all the essentials.
From there, you'll be well prepared to navigate through all the options in our online djembe shop and find it easier to narrow down a favourite.
As always, if you need any extra help finding the right djembe for you, feel free to get in touch or pop into the shop and have a chat with our Master Drum Craftsman, Mady Keita, for professional advice and all-round djembe wisdom.
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We're very excited to be welcoming our new teacher - Superstar & Master Drummer Abli from Ghana - to the African Drumming Academy here at Super Mande Percussion.
Master Abli will be teaching in Mount Waverley on Monday evenings.
Lots of fun to be had drumming, not to mention the occasional dance routine to get everyone moving and energised.
For general info on our group drumming classes see this link.
Contact us today if you're ready to warm up your winter and join in the action!
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Missing all our Melbourne friends at the moment and hoping not too long before we can start the music again.
This was recorded in-house at Super Mande Percussion, featuring Masters from right across West Africa - Mady Keita (Mali), Kofi Kunkpe (Ghana) and King Marong (Gambia).
Thanks to Kofi for the video... recorded just before the latest restrictions... and the generous commentary below.
See you soon! 🎵 Peace and love.
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