Manimou Camara (born July 1978, Matam,

Conakry Region Conakry (; ; sus, Kɔnakiri; N’ko: ߞߐߣߊߞߙߌ߫, Fula: ''Konaakiri'' 𞤑𞤮𞤲𞤢𞥄𞤳𞤭𞤪𞤭) is the capital and largest city of Guinea. A port city, it serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea. Its pop ...

Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

) is a master drummer and dancer from

. Manimou specializes in several percussive instruments, namely the dynamic hand drum called ''

djembe A djembe or jembe ( ; from Maninka language, Malinke ''jembe'' , N'Ko script, N'Ko: ) is a rope-tuned skin-covered goblet drum played with bare hands, originally from West Africa. According to the Bambara people in Mali, the name of the djembe ...

'', three bass drums called

dunun Dunun (; plural dunun) (also spelled dundun or doundoun) is the generic name for a family of West African drums that have developed alongside the ''djembe'' in the Mande drum ensemble. A dunun is a rope-tuned cylindrical drum with a rawhid ...

sangban Dunun (; plural dunun) (also spelled dundun or doundoun) is the generic name for a family of West African drums that have developed alongside the ''djembe'' in the Mandé peoples, Mande drum ensemble. A dunun is a rope-tuned cylindrical drum ...

, and

kenkeni Dunun (; plural dunun) (also spelled dundun or doundoun) is the generic name for a family of West African drums that have developed alongside the ''djembe'' in the Mande drum ensemble. A dunun is a rope-tuned cylindrical drum with a rawhid ...

as well as the kringni. He is the founder of Dounia Djembe, a Seattle-based percussion and dance company. He is a member of the Kpelle people and Malinke ethnic groups. Manimou Camara began studying the music and dance of his native

, West Africa at the age of twelve. His primary education was spent with Sekou Dico Sylla (now a Vancouver, BC resident), Karamoko Daman (Karamo Dama) and nationally recognized Ballet Saamato. He has played lead dunun for Mohamed Kemoko Sano's world-renowned Ballet Merveille and conducted rhythm and dance camps for people from Europe, Japan, and the United States. Manimou now resides in the Seattle metropolitan area where he works closely with acclaimed Ghanaian performance artist Awal Alhassan.

References

External links

*
Ballet Saamato

Soho Dounia
Living people Guinean musicians Guinean dancers Master drummers Guinean people of Kpelle descent 1978 births Guinean emigrants to the United States 21st-century drummers {{Guinea-bio-stub