Cousoumeh in Siparia

SIPARIA will come alive once again with the Cousoumeh Festival 3 at the Siparia Deltones panyard at Railway Road in Siparia on Sunday from 6 pm.

Produced by the Siparia Deltones Steel Orchestra, the festival, themed: Awakening D’ Taste of a people, is in honour of South African jazz music icon Hugh Masekela.

Masekela, an ace trumpeter, was a key element in the production of the CD From Siparia to Soweto, which comprised a collection of songs that represented the various sounds of TT. However, before he could work on other projects with the band he died earlier this year.

Deltones bandleader Akinola Sennon said back then, “Our music was in transition. Our musical director Carlton Alexander wanted our orchestra to evolve further into an institution of learning, and it was Masekela that prompted that idea.”

Of the Cousoumeh Festival, Sennon said: “Our country once boasted of having a particular taste that was non-comparable to any other. Art being a reflection of society, we would have seen this taste in all facets of the society, and the arts just mirrored it. The taste was evident socially, domestically, morally, educationally and of course culturally.

“Cousoumeh Festival 3 speaks to awakening that taste. A taste that we can all strive to awaken in our respective communities we could see a national awakening being fostered. What better tool there is to provoke the awakening than the arts?”

He said Masekela got a scent of this taste whilst working with them in Siparia and had pledged to work very closely with the Deltones Institute of Steel Drums and Music to awaken this taste and further evolve it.

Sennon added: “We as a community have produced excellent contributors to our national arts sector at large. Some of these contributors are Daisy Voisin, Machel Montano, Clive “Zanda” Alexander, Carlton “Zanda” Alexander, Mistah Shak (Shaquille Layne), Big B (Leroy Birch), Lord Beginner (Egbert Moore) and Growling Tiger (Neville Marcano).

“Heritage restoration as a paved road to evolution is what Awakening the Taste speaks to. On Sunday April 15, the Deltones Institute would be awakening the taste in honour of Masekela.”

The music of Clive Zanda, Carlton Zanda, Mistah Shak and Siparia Deltones Steel Orchestra will all be featured, as they perform live at the festival.”