Biography:
Oko Drammeh, a
well known Gambian music promoter and event organiser was born and bought up in
Banjul. He has travelled far and wide in Europe, Africa and
America and has vast experience in music.
Drammeh was born and raised in the Gambia, West Africa and
grew up as a disc Jockey for radio stations, night clubs and
social events, listening to western pop and rock music on
the radio, while being influenced by the traditional music
of Africa. He founded the African Music Festival in Delft,
Holland in 1983 as a taste of home for Africans living in
Europe. The event quickly became popular with the Dutch
people and soon became a major tourist draw every summer,
attracting fans from England, France, Germany and the United
States.
He is
a producer, ethnomusicologist and founder and chairman of the African
Music Festival, one of the oldest and largest international
African events which will celebrate it's 20-year anniversary
in 2003. In addition to producing several CDs in the Soto
Koto catalogue for Higher Octave Music, which now are
distributed by Virgin, Drammeh also has produced
documentaries on African music and culture for BBC, written
articles for Downbeat magazine and he has organized a host
of festivals, concerts, symposiums and other cultural
exhibitions. He is also the creative force behind The Soto
Koto Band.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2003, the African Music
Festival has brought the stars of Africa to the
international public. Drammeh introduced stars like Miriam
Makeba (South Africa), Youssou Ndour (Senegal), Toure Kunda
(Senegal), Mory Kante (Guinea) and Salifu Keita (Mali) to
the attention of the international listening public. He was
also instrumental in introducing the music of, among others,
Angelique Kidjo (Benin), Randy Weston (USA) Manu Dibango
(Cameroon) and Osibisa (Ghana) to European audiences.
The cultural diversity between the artists is immense, in
such a way that visitors of the Festival can really sample
the musical history of the African continent. In addition to
the Netherlands, the Festival has also been held in Africa
and the United States. Drammeh also has produced events in
France, Germany, England and Scandinavia. He has been one of
the most consistent forces in the promotion of African music
and culture. As organizer of the renowned African Music
Festival, this Gambian-born producer, now residing in
Europe, has been a major force in presenting a great variety
of African singers, composers and instrumentalists, from the
traditional to the contemporary as well as the obscure.
In 2001, Drammeh brought the Night of the Griots on a U.S.
tour that exposed the culture, music and instruments of the
Manding people to American audiences in the first step of a
cultural exchange between Banjul, the capital of The Gambia
and Austin, TX. The events, which took place in several U.S.
cities, were recorded for an upcoming DVD.
"Music, as a reflection of our emotion is our way of love
and communication with the Universe," says Drammeh.
In 2003, the African Music Festival will open offices in
China and Japan to share the great diversity of African
music and culture with Asian audiences.
Political Life:
He was involved with many organisations,
which later established the Movement of Justice in Africa (MOJA),
and he took part in many of the pocket meetings and we had
radical groups that even sabotaged government utilities. He
was arrested following the failed coup in 1981 and charged
with treason as he had fought as a group and battalion
leader. He was kept in various detention cells and was lucky
to be released alive as quite a few died in the cells.
Clients:
Sotokoto Band,
Rebecca Atanga, Jaliba Kuyateh and the Afro Beat Gang.
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Official Website:
www.okodrammeh.com
Contact Address Details:
Prunuslaan 43,
2612 VL
Delft, Holland
Email: okob@okodrammeh.com
22 Daniel Goddard Street
Banjul, Gambia
West Africa
Phone: +220.393635
Fax : 00220224154
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Oko Drammeh is one of the leading promoters of
African music festivals in the world. His festival in
Amsterdam, launched in 1973, has grown into a major event,
drawing more than ten thousand people annually. Drammeh
organized the first African music festival in the United
States, holding the fete at the John Anson Ford Theatre in
Los Angeles in September 1997.
Born in Gambia and based in Holland, Drammeh was one to
accurately predict a increase in the popularity of Africa's
music. Although there were few African musicians known
outside of Africa, when he began the festival in Amsterdam,
Drammeh has continued to widen his scope. In an interview
with the L.A. Times, he said, "There's a wide range of
cultures in Africa. Music from the north is mostly stringed
instruments and horns. From the Savannah, it's mostly drums
because they have huge trees. I decided to base my program
on generations -- past, present and future. A (veteran act
such as) Hugh Masekela or Osibisa is the fabric. Samba Ngo
is a young ZAirean guitar player. With this program, you
have to mix it like a salad". |
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