Musical Hats in Gambia
Dee began The Gambia Project in collaboration with Alla Leake Kunda Drum School in 2001, coordinating students each year to study West African music, song, and dance with djembefola Thomas Camara. This project developed out into the local community, working with both Deeper Life School and Amazing Grace Primary to deliver immersive art projects that encourage creative expression.
“The Music in the Community programme has become the single most challenging and transformational activity for the majority of students taking a Music degree. It engenders a sense of worth and commitment, and a focus on skill and communication which is only possible in a situation where the social benefit of the work is so apparent to everyone involved. Dee has developed an extraordinary project in The Gambia, and the students are enthusiastic to be involved. I think it has enormous benefits for all concerned, and I give it my wholehearted support and to recommend the project to you as entirely worthy of your own support”
Prof. Peter Nelson - University of Edinburgh
Composed and written by Dee, Musical Hats is one of the participatory theatre projects - originally commissioned by the Scottish Ensemble - but adapted for schools in The Gambia.
“Anywhere you find the children around campus you find them singing your songs. Sooner or later the whole of Serrekunda will learn these songs because each and every child who participated in the programme has a sister, brother, cousin or friend in other Schools. As they sing the songs to them, so they will sing it to others. As they sing the songs to them, so they will sing to others and on and on it will go until it reaches the whole region and if not the whole country. This is possible because The Gambia is a small country”
Mohammed Dansoko
Teacher, Deeper Life Primary School Serekunda, Gambia
