The Drumroots team recently returned from Abéné, in the Casamance region of Senegal. We enjoyed a short but inspiring period of training in traditional West African drumming.
We stayed at a beautiful guest house and spent as much time as possible studying with our teacher, Sipa (Mohammed Sylla), and his group, Wassalon. We’ve visited Abéné many times over the years. Each visit feels special, and we’re always made to feel welcome. We already look forward to returning!
During our stay, we deepened our knowledge of West African music and traditions. Learning directly from Sipa and Wassalon continues to inspire our work with Drumroots.
This experience also feeds into the West African drumming workshops we run in the UK. We love sharing the rhythms, energy and community spirit of this music with new audiences.
You don’t need to travel to Senegal to experience the joy of West African drumming! Here in the UK, our workshops offer a chance to explore traditional rhythms, learn new skills and make music together.
Whether you’re completely new to drumming or already have some experience, we’d love to share our passion with you.
Interested in joining a Drumroots workshop? Get in touch to find out more about our upcoming sessions. We look forward to drumming with you!
2 responses
Hi! I’m hoping to come to Senegal to do some drum lessons sometime between February 15th and mid-March! Can you give me more information on what you provide?!
Hi Stephanie. We don’t run trips to Senegal I’m afraid. This blog post you read is quite old, from around 2012.
Those trips weren’t part of an organized drumming retreat but rather something we arranged ourselves. We contacted Sipa our drum teacher directly, organized our lessons, and found local accommodation. Unfortunately, I no longer have the contact for the place where we stayed, but I’m still in touch with Sipa through Facebook Messenger. Here’s a link to his profile:
https://www.facebook.com/mohamed.sylla.37017794.
I highly recommend reaching out to him to arrange your tuition. He’s a fantastic teacher, and I’ve always enjoyed my time studying with him and visiting Abene.
For accommodation, Les Belles Etoiles is a good option. You can check it out here:
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g482873-d12264802-Reviews-Les_Belles_Etoiles-Abene_Ziguinchor_Region_Casamance.html.
More recently, I’ve been travelling to Guinea to study and play. If you’re looking for a more organized drumming retreat, where everything is arranged for you, I’d recommend going with Master Drummer Iya Sako. His retreat starts at the beginning of January. Here’s a link for more information:
https://iyasako.co.uk/travel.htm
I hope that helps. Good luck with your trip!
Best regards,