Karamo Susso
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- rattapallax
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Let me just take a moment and introduce you to our Sound Guy, Papa’s fourth child (in fact, it’s here at the Brazil Embassy, when I ask Karamo which number child he is that we learn this from Papa – Papa’s first child Bunka, named for Papa’s jelikuntigi (lead griot) father, who died at the age of two).
26, handsome, laid back, devoted to Father and family, an awesome brilliant kora player, I first spoke to Karamo a couple weeks before I left for Africa. Papa overheard Ram and me talking about hiring a soundman – I was deep into last minute French classes, lunching with the wondrous Banning Eyre of “In Griot Time,” Timbala’s guitarist, and Afro-Pop renown, getting filmmaker Sandra Paugam to translate my francais mauvais to the travel agent recommended by Alain Kirili, the sculptor who often works in Segou and Dogon country, hiring MC Paul Barman to be my assistant back home, Peter Townsend (the architect, not The Who guitarist (with “h”)) to fix up apartment – But enough about me! “On the Griot Trail” needed a local sound man because, folks, I’m too untrained and was already booked as host/director/producer/friend of Papa. And when Papa heard this he had the solution!
Karamo grew up in Ballike Sissoko’s compound in Bamako – his mother, Papa’s second wife, is Ballike’s sister. He speaks perfect French, Bambara. And he is a first-class griot, though he prefers not to sing. He writes his band’s music. He is in the process of building a sound studio at Papa’s compound. He’s dedicated and terrific and reliable and, well, I just can’t say enough about this team, the dedication and talent, and the great gift of having Karamo with us. The trip provokes problems with his girlfriend in Old Jeshwang, but he seems dedicated to her. Bea broke up with her boyfriend, just a few days ago. And of course there’s my loss, too, my wife Elizabeth, inspiration for this trip, a year ago. So we’re all kind of openhearted orphans right now, a bit tender and propping each other up as we run through this streak of bad luck.
Bear with us. We’ll return to our regularly scheduled poem in a moment.
Bob Holman is the host of a new travel series focused on endangered languages called ON THE ROAD WITH BOB HOLMAN on LINK TV. He traveled to West Africa, Middle East and Asia and these are his blog stories from his travels. More information at http://www.rattapallax.com/blog/on_the_road/
26, handsome, laid back, devoted to Father and family, an awesome brilliant kora player, I first spoke to Karamo a couple weeks before I left for Africa. Papa overheard Ram and me talking about hiring a soundman – I was deep into last minute French classes, lunching with the wondrous Banning Eyre of “In Griot Time,” Timbala’s guitarist, and Afro-Pop renown, getting filmmaker Sandra Paugam to translate my francais mauvais to the travel agent recommended by Alain Kirili, the sculptor who often works in Segou and Dogon country, hiring MC Paul Barman to be my assistant back home, Peter Townsend (the architect, not The Who guitarist (with “h”)) to fix up apartment – But enough about me! “On the Griot Trail” needed a local sound man because, folks, I’m too untrained and was already booked as host/director/producer/friend of Papa. And when Papa heard this he had the solution!
Karamo grew up in Ballike Sissoko’s compound in Bamako – his mother, Papa’s second wife, is Ballike’s sister. He speaks perfect French, Bambara. And he is a first-class griot, though he prefers not to sing. He writes his band’s music. He is in the process of building a sound studio at Papa’s compound. He’s dedicated and terrific and reliable and, well, I just can’t say enough about this team, the dedication and talent, and the great gift of having Karamo with us. The trip provokes problems with his girlfriend in Old Jeshwang, but he seems dedicated to her. Bea broke up with her boyfriend, just a few days ago. And of course there’s my loss, too, my wife Elizabeth, inspiration for this trip, a year ago. So we’re all kind of openhearted orphans right now, a bit tender and propping each other up as we run through this streak of bad luck.
Bear with us. We’ll return to our regularly scheduled poem in a moment.
Bob Holman is the host of a new travel series focused on endangered languages called ON THE ROAD WITH BOB HOLMAN on LINK TV. He traveled to West Africa, Middle East and Asia and these are his blog stories from his travels. More information at http://www.rattapallax.com/blog/on_the_road/
