When she was a young girl in the Ivory Coast, Dobet Gnahoré knew she wanted to devote her life to the arts. At age 12, Dobet announced to her father that she wasn’t going to return to school. “I want to stay in the village like you!” she asserted so forcefully that her father knew there was no talking her out of it. However, this was no ordinary “village.” Dobet’s father, a respected master drummer, singer and actor, was a founding member of Village Ki-Yi M’Bock, one of Africa’s most unique artist enclaves.
The influence of this exceptional community and the creative environment in which she was raised can be heard on Dobet’s new recording, Na Afriki (To Afrika), which will be released by Cumbancha on June 26, 2007.
September 2007 Tour:
09/10: New York, NY Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St.
09/12: Boston, MA Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington
09/13: Lafayette, IN Duncan Hall, 619 Ferry St.
09/14: Chicago, IL Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln Ave.
09/15: Madison, WI Willy Street Fair
09/16: Milwaukee, WI Humboldt Park Bandshell, 3000 S. Howell Ave.
09/22: Napa, CA Napa Valley Opera House, 1030 Main Street
09/24: Seattle, WA Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, 2033 6th Ave.
Buy recordings by Dobet Gnahoré:
- In North America: Na Afriki, Djekpa la You, Ano Neko
- In Europe: Na Afriki
Author: World Music Central News Room
World music news from the editors at World Music Central
