Akutuk Origins [SOLD OUT]

Originating in Cameroon, Akutuk is a bare-handed aquatic percussion technique—an interplay between air, water, and the body. This ancestral art form pays homage to the elements of nature for their benefits. Strictly a women’s practice, it has been passed down from generation to generation, from woman to woman, in the Cameroonian forest. Traditionally, Akutuk accompanies certain activities such as fishing or doing laundry. The women gather to celebrate the water spirits, with polyrhythms that can sometimes contain genuine messages for the initiated ear…

As our relationship with water has changed over time, Loïs Zongo, the project’s leader, is mobilizing her resources by bringing together the women of her native village to revive musical practices that have fallen into disuse and bring this heritage back into the public eye. The suspended atmospheres and fluid melodies remind us of our first orchestra of amniotic sounds, the root and foundation of our emotions! A rare and unique moment.

Line-up:

• Loïs Zongo (akutuk, vocals, rhombe)
• Marie-Thérèse Atem (akutuk, vocals)
• Monti Etetebe (akutuk, vocals, rhombe)