Interview with Francis Bebey

It's sort of up to you only because your bottom. But if you don't want to do you want to play anything. I guess the only thought was you could you could sort of demonstrate something of you know some sort of idea when what you do. Being able to sort of describe yourself yes his auditors you know that world because we can do this you know. Is your tip running. Yeah we're running out. I'll cut I can cut stuff out that's no problem. So Francis baybay and you did bring along a couple of instruments and I guess it's a toss up whether we're going to play anything or not but I thought it might be a nice idea to just give people a little idea of some sort of what you try to bring to people when you play in public. Well I brought two visible and humans to their instruments and good in my voice and human voices. Most most beautiful girls fool

and I'm the most tremendous instrument and sometimes when we speak of musical instruments we would forget about the verse. So you see I have a Sam's outer world view to you. Which is the instrument which God used to create the world. And I have big new rule which is a magic flute because you can live on the one north and you can make music out of one.

Which is my thing. And the vice can do all kinds of things. You. Know. But. He he.

Been was my. Now would you call those traditional techniques of singing. Yes and that you've sort of adapted and brought into your own composition which uses traditional instruments as well as a classical guitar. Absolutely. I study the voice of much as I was that in the book or any other instrument or use the techniques the vocal techniques from from various parts of Africa and in my own compositions. There was one interesting story that you told in concert the other night

about the symbolism of HUMIRA with the keys and so on. Or you know them better in some places never were you know with people of Africa. We we tend to believe that Africa is a village which is absolute It's actually a zillion different cultures but it's it's it's a huge continent with different cultures. What happens in one place and then it would be absolutely annoying to another please. But but in general it is. Killer instrument used in the same way in various places in West Africa in East Africa and Central Africa and South Africa South Africa and what stands out be it our war. Whatever name you give it will give the

tourch nut the keys on the keyboard as you thing which is true. I've touched the keys on the keyboard but actually my African conception I don't touch the key had touched the sound which is absolutely. Different conception. If I'm able to touch the sandwiches and intangible in principle it means that I can touch the intangible and if I can't touch the intangible it means that I also can see the invisible The instrument has. You mean in many places. It's not just the thumb which has been described by musicologists from the west. It's actually the representation of

the world. World with the people who live in the world symbolized by a family. Each note on the keyboard has a name the grandfather grandmother the father mother and uncle and the mother daughter or daughter. And magic notes that you and of each of the people you find major roads. There's magic notes. Led to the creation of man in the beginning when the creator of buy into. Which means the creator of mind when man tried to avoid boredom by playing in the sand. You know that in the beginning there was nothing nothing

neither light nor darkness there was nothing and there was only boredom and imagination indicated to God that if he bled the sands of boredom that boredom go away by itself. And he he he made the first sound that would do and thus avoid boredom. But what happened was that when he played one note the first player created the sun and the moon was created in the village and the continent then the world was created and at one time he touched one of those magic notes I was talking about. And then man was created man followed by his wife. And behind the world

children of all colors black wire blue etc. populated the world and you understand why are we in there. Because we don't pay attention to people who come to visit us because we know from the very beginning that all these people were born of the same sounds and that it's a very small instrument. It looks simple and actually a great part of our philosophy lives and this and this is one. It's an example of what African music has to give because our life is based on this and we act according to what that philosophy tells us to do this.

It's a tremendous thing. And this makes me go on living. I can go around the world without fear because I know that land sisters here in the south. Living on beneath the grow as we know that man never that did that. So I can see you can really see how important it is not to lose sight of. It's how important it is not to forget the traditional meaning of I think it's a very important to me anyway. I think in Western you know I think such things exist in European culture but they've sort of been lost over the centuries. You know the meaning the meanings behind the different musical instrument you have different world behavior you invent.

Who knew. Sometimes it's useful to invent too much and you don't want to toss things aside you don't need them anymore and you forget. Yeah yeah. Great. I guess one of the thing I was interested in asking you about was you're a poet and a lot of your music. You know you set your poems combined with instrumental music and other singing and and and so on. Do you think in that way you're helping to suggest an idea because that sort of a traditional function isn't it. Well this is a tradition in African culture. Not to restart the poem itself but to do without it. With with near they could come complement them and pose with dance accompaniment to this is this. I haven't invented the Africa has given me the idea but I found out in ways that it's good

it's appreciated because people think that will bring poetry to be more or more men will accept a wider audience here. And I'm very happy about this. Yeah that's actually a tradition in many cultures they do that in India too. It's the song poem in Islamic cultures and it's something you will agree that the. More I think I think that's that's good. Thank you very much for coming and for sitting with me and bearing with me. You Francis baybay and pleasure. We look forward to seeing you again in New York sometime with every invite. Yes if you feel like coming to Hoboken where I live you're always welcome. All right take care.