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Friendship Through Puppets

A parade of the Weeping Sisters, including the new Syrian Sister created by local people, refugees and students in...

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16 hours ago

Some lovely work produced at our first 'Unmasking Pain' collaborative session with Balbir Singh Dance Company. Deep conversations, Kurdish music from Hussain, dancing hands and these pastels based on important events in our lives and our feelings about them. Great to welcome a new group of Syrian refugees to our work. Next session Wednesday 20th July at 7pm at the Lawrence Batley Theatre. Get in touch if you'd like to be involved. kim.strickson@6millionplus.org ... See MoreSee Less

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17 hours ago

All about our former trustee and friend Dieudonne. We have loved our collaborations with Burundians, and their culture and struggle is represented in Kaneza, one of our Weeping Sisters giant figures.DIEUDONNÉ MANIRAKIZA AKA DIDI – BURUNDI DRUMMINGDieudonné was born and raised in Burundi. Burundi is a small country in East Africa. He came to the UK as an asylum seeker in 2002 and had no choice where in the UK he would like to live. Once he introduced himself to the UK immigration authorities, the home office decided to send him to Huddersfield, and he has never left.His first impression of Yorkshire was that it was very welcoming and accommodating. On arrival he didn’t have any friends however, it was not difficult for him to make friends as he was very outgoing and sociable and made friends quickly. Dieudonné grew up in a rural area in Burundi, where he and his family survived by living off the land. They planted their own crops and reared their own animals, which included cattle, goats, and sheep. He remembers the area where he grew up, people liked to connect with and help one another and there was a real sense of community spirit.Dieudonné has only managed to return home to Burundi once, in 2014, since coming to the UK. Burundi is a musical country. Every evening parents and children would gather in the house, sit together around a fire, and cook their meal. As there was no television his family would sing whilst they waited for the meal to be ready. They sang traditional and cultural songs; they would sing about the animals, hills, the weather, daily travel, and resilience. The songs were happy songs taught to them by his parents and sometimes the neighbours and friends whilst out grazing the cows. Singing was a beautiful pastime whilst doing other activities. They weren’t many instruments, so they used their voices in different tones and clapped their hands to produce beautiful music. Some songs would have choruses, one person would lead with the main verses and the family would respond with the chorus to make the music.At the age of twelve, he went to secondary school. It was a religious boarding school run by nuns and priests. Going to boarding school was a choice made by his parents as they wanted him to do well and obtain good grades. At the school he had opportunities to engage in other activities such as sport and music. Dieudonné was fascinated by the beat of the Burundian drums and began to learn to play them. In Burundi, the drum is a sacred musical instrument and symbolises unityInitially his parents were not happy about his newfound passion for the drums. The drums are linked to the Hutus Tribe and there is a long-standing tribal rivalry between two tribes – Hutus and Tutsis – that continues today. Dieudonné is from the Tutsi tribe and Burundi drumming is seen as a Hutu activity. However, he ignored their concerns and continued to play the drums. He later won them over when they were invited to a festival at his school and were impressed by how well he played the drums, sang, and danced.Dieudonné no longer feels the strong connection with the Tooties tribe as he doesn’t feel the divisions are real. The thought process is very narrow, he feels he needs a bigger spectrum in which to operate. Having travelled the world, he has grown and now sees things differently. He embraces diversity and feels connected to humanity as opposed to one particular tribe.There is a lot of energy in Burundi drumming. A drum group usually has between 10 to 20 participants, with more drums creating better rhythms and a deeper richness of sound. The melodic rhythms of the drums together with the singing is uplifting. Drumming makes Dieudonné feel present and positively energetic especially when he sees the audience reacting to the captivating drumbeats.The main theme in the songs accompanying the Burundian drumming is the pure joy of the celebration. The songs celebrate our ancestors, culture, nature, lives and our accomplishments. Cows are important in Burundi culture as they are seen as a symbol of wealth. Money was not always present and so the farmers would exchange goods to ensure everyone was fed. The Burundian songs embrace and celebrate this culture and heritage.Burundian drums are historically an important part of the heritage transmitted from one generation to the next. They were symbols of power during the monarchy and were beaten for special events to legitimate the king's power. The king would use the drums as a form of communication and a way of delivering a message to the community. However, Burundi no longer has a Kingdom as it is now a Republic. The other way of communicating in traditional African communities would be to stand on the mountain tops and shout, then the people would hear the sound and pass it on. Burundian drums are all different in sizes and sounds to produce beautiful music. They are made from a piece of hollowed tree trunk which only grows in Burundi. An adult cow’s skin is stretched over this hollowed-out section of trunk and secured to the wood using wooden pegs. In general, the drum is played with sticks. The smaller drums have a higher pitch and the larger drums are more bass in sound. The main drum is called the “Karyenda” and is usually played by the one commanding the rest of the drummers. Dieudonné used to perform with the Abatimbo Burundi Drummers though the group disbanded due to personal commitments, however he still visits his friend in Cambridge where they have organised camps over the summer for children to learn to play the drums and wear the traditional Burundi costumes. This is always a memorable experience for both the children and Dieudonné.There are various techniques to playing the drums. One is tapping the drums at the top and the side. He performed the drums in a session in Wakefield and he invited members of the audience to come and play the drums with the group. Initially the participants were shy but with his encouragement they began to play their own rhythms on the middle drum. The drummers were instructed to play a monotonous rhythm and once the participant started playing, his drummers would suddenly stop, allowing a solo performance by the participant in front of the audience. Over the years Dieudonné has continued to learn and improve his skills especially during the Covid-19 crisis when he had to find alternative ways of teaching children and young people virtually. He had to learn how to make his drums sound authentic online so that children got the best Burundi drumming experience. What he didn’t expect was to connect with schools as far as Japan. His dream is to use a traditional Burundian song in a children’s choir.Dieudonné believes, as human we can’t always process things using our minds, music helps us to be transported to different levels of consciousness and shifts our thinking. Music has great powers and is good for our health and wellbeing. The lockdown was difficult. Not being able to go out and interact with people created a fear of going out and post-lockdown anxiety can affect people in different ways.Dieudonné has taken part in many musical activities in Huddersfield and believes it’s a very musical town. He has taken part in the Contemporary Musical Festival, Marsden Jazz Festival, Moon Raking Festival, Cuckoo Festival, Pagan Festival, just to name a few. Also, performing at these events provides an insight into other people’s musical styles such as morris dancing. These annual festivals and events encourage people who are new to the area to go along and see what’s happening. Dieudonné thinks Huddersfield is a welcoming place, and welcomes people of all different cultures and backgrounds.Photo: Abatimbo Burundi Drummer Dieudonné Manirakiza performs outside Home Castle Country Hotel, Holme Village, Holmfirth, 2009. Photo by Jill Hayfield, courtesy of Dieudonné Manirakiza ... See MoreSee Less

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17 hours ago

Ancient and modern. A message of welcome for all times. ... See MoreSee Less

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2 days ago

Still time to join us for the first session of the 'Unmasking Pain' creative arts project with Balbir Singh Dance Company (Sam and Kali from the company pictured). 1st session at Lawrence Batley Theatre tomorrow, Sunday, 26th June, 2pm to 4.30pm. For people who manage long term pain. The session tomorrow will in the Attic at the LBT, Queen Street, HD1 2SP. Disabled access available via the lift. Please share, and tell any friends you think might be interested. The second session will be Wednesday July 20th 7pm to 9.30pm at the LBT. Contact kim.strickson@6millionplus.org ... See MoreSee Less

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6 days ago

Yellow star from a baby carriage, 1936...This Yellow Star was attached to the baby carriage of Zonko Radovan. It is among the dozens of Yellow Stars on display in The Holocaust: What Hate Can Do. As Nazi occupations swept Europe, the badges that Jews were forced to wear had subtle differences, a visual representation of the localized anti-Jewish persecution during the Holocaust.The Holocaust: What Hate Can Do is a timely presentation of the Holocaust, the vibrancy of Jewish life around the world that so many sought to destroy, and what the world did and didn't do. Learn more and purchase tickets ahead of our July 1st opening here. mjhnyc.org/exhibitions/the-holocaust-what-hate-can-do/Yellow Star, Z from baby carriage of Zonko Radovan. Gift of Diane and Bill Stern, 2012.33.46. ... See MoreSee Less

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