ADUNGU & DANYAL

Danyal packed very lightly into a large bag. The trip to Sudan followed one to Uganda where he’d performed Mozart’s Requiem as part of an international student orchestra playing with local singers. During that visit, Ugandan musicians had demonstrated the Adungu. The instruments ranged from 1 to 5 foot in length, the largest being straddled as it’s played. None would fit in his bag so the Sudanese trip provided an opportunity to take one home. In Khartoum they played to 3,000 people. This was British folk re-imagined, played on Japanese and Jew’s harps. After the performance they were offered a trip to the local Museum of Music by Dafa Allah Elhaj Ali, its manager. The museum had several Adungus, one of which Dafa insisted Danyal take. Danyal made a donation to the museum and packed the Adungu into his ample bag.

25 Mar 2012