We recorded sessions of the bombolom, a percussion instrument made from a large, hollowed-out horizontal tree trunk (about 1 meter in length and 50 cm in diameter), filled with flinders and struck with two sticks. It is used as a communication tool, somewhat similar to church bells in Europe.However, unlike its West African counterpart, the balafon, it cannot be used to convey complex messages. Instead, it serves as a messenger of urgency or a call for a community gathering.As we were told, whatever you are doing, you must stop and go to the meeting place upon hearing its signal—whether it announces an emergency, a celebration, or a community assembly. We encountered the bombolom on almost every island we visited, in various sizes.<a href="https://marimbaworld.bandcamp.com/album/uno-aldeia-de-cabuno">Listen to recording</a>

Uno - Aldeia de Cabuno

Field recording conducted in August 2023.<a href="https://marimbaworld.bandcamp.com/album/rey-bailundo-angola">Listen to recording</a>

Rey Bailundo

Field recordings from August 2022.<a href="https://marimbaworld.bandcamp.com/album/orquestra-de-timbila-ta-mazivene-mo-ambique">Listen to recording</a>

Timbila Ta Mazivene Orchestra

The first recording we made on the island was a long and complex epic with music and dance, serving as a reenactment of the deeds of Okinca Pampa.The reenactment was performed by a group of eight young people in traditional ceremonial attire—one of them portraying Okinca Pampa (her name was Sábado Pereira), accompanied by the other seven and a group of 25-30 other women in regular clothing. They engaged in repetitive chants and narrated stories through spoken words (parlando) while using portable percussion instruments (rattles and other idiophones) and executing shouts.<a href="https://marimbaworld.bandcamp.com/album/orango-grande-aldeia-de-eticoga-guin-bissau">Listen to the recording</a>

Orango Grande: Aldeia de Eticoga

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Visit to the Bijagós archipelago and Cacheu territory in May 2025.

Visit Bijagós and Cacheu

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Uno - Aldeia de Cabuno

Rey Bailundo

Timbila Ta Mazivene Orchestra

Orango Grande: Aldeia de Eticoga

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