Saturday 7 December 2019

Big Fayia 1989.Nov.02 in Sierra Leone recorded Peel Session BBC

This post I had prepared some time ago, to post it today at 2019.Dec.07. Now you may think why? Well because the session was broadcasted exactly 30 years ago, and the recording of that broadcast includes the BBC news of that day [about that more at the end of this post]. Now first the music!

Big Fayia - the only good picture I found from the man
source: sierraleonejournal
Big Fayia (real name: Mustapha Sahr) was a musician from Sierra Leone, he died in 1999. I can summarize some of the writings I found about him, but I think you'd better read them yourself:
  • 1987.Apr.27 article by Gary Stewart at sierraleonejournal
  • 1992 book "Breakout: Profiles in African Rhythm" by Gary Stewart [again] includes a full chapter about Big Fayia - google pg.53-61
  • 2000 tribute by Gary Stewart at sierraleonejournal [again]
  • Various writings with some info about Big Fayia:
    1999: "African Music on 45 rpm records in the UK, 1954-1981" - at mustrad.org.uk
    2017: "Live music in Sierra Leone" - at musicinafrica.net
Note: all webpages are included in stand-alone html-format in the download.

Listen to a 1972 single track as played by John Peel in 1983



BIG FAYIA 19891102 - BBC local recorded Peel Session


bc.1989.Dec.07 John Peel Show BBC Radio 1
setlist: 1.Gba Nya Ma - Nga Mone Biwe / 2.Kamo Ahmadu - Nginamudele / 3.How Are You - Lawoseh - Look Waiu Wowo - Co Co Ros / 4.Tiawama A Kpandei - U Deh Make Make Panme / 5.Muana Limia - Yawolo Yiama - Sandi Manya - Heile Nay Hun

recorded 1989.Nov.02  in Sierra Leonne by The British Council, Freetown, Sierra Leone [when John Peel and his wife were visiting Sierra Leone]
line-up: Mustafa Joe [is Big Fayia] - lead vocals (1, 2, 5) / Sidikie J.C. Kortogbou - lead vocals (3) / Tamba Musa - shengbi drum (3) / Sahr Karimu - kongoma, lead vocals (4) / Daniel Lavalie - mendi shengbai or big drum (5)

included bonuses:
*repeat on 2018.Dec.04 of 4 tracks of above session on BBC 6music Live Hour
*original audio of Peel playing in 1983 a track from Big Fayia [see soundcloud above download]
*Big Fayia & Sierra Leone Military Band - OAU One [from 1980 LP] - from soundcloud
*the BBC news item from 1989.Dec.07 about the situation in Czechoslovakia [more about that later]

Discography
Big Fayia probably released many locals K7s, but (acc.discogs.com) surely some (local) singles between 1973 and 1977 with various bands (e.g.The Invisible Five, The Afronational Band, The African Hunters and Afri Hunters) on the Born Trouble and Afrodisc labels. And his one and only LP with The Sierra Leone Military Dance Band called "O.A.U. 1980" ‎(LP, 1980, Organization Of African Unity #OAU.1), from which one track is included in the download.


1989 News
Now, as promised, on to the BBC news item from 1989.Dec.07. This is about the the political situation of that time, at the end of communist rule and just before the "Velvet Revolution" in Czechoslovakia.
Next to Nelson Mandela I consider Vaclav Havel as one of my heros, and this news item hit me so deep that I had to include into this download. For those with similar feelings or just interested in how things were then, I highly recommend to watch a video of the first permitted demonstration in 1988 communist Czechoslovakia just 1 year before the news. It happened somewhere in the outskirts of Prague, as the communists tried to make it as low profile as possible. Somewhere in the video one can see that the demonstrators are happy for the one and only banner a few brave people dared to put high up in the air. The whole video is in Czech [which I also don't understand as most of you], but when I watch Vaclav Havel being introduced, climbing up to speak and then hearing the roar of the crowd, shivers down my spine [same as when Nelson Mandela could leave prison and the introduction of Les Amazones de Guinee at their 1983 Paris concert]!!
Watch and enjoy that moment in the video here!

Now this all happened only 30 years ago! What will be in 30 years from now?
But also:

NEVER EVER FORGET:

"il faut me pardonner - you must forgive me"

Pap Djah's last words before left on his own in the Sahara desert (in Niger)

 
 
PS: I have the Plastic People of the Universe's "Egon Bondy's Happy Hearts Club Banned" [1978, LP], the band which was prisoned in Czechoslovakia in 1977, because they played music the communists didn't like. Havel with friends started Charta 77 because of that. The music is weird and interesting alternative rock music, a little out of the scope of this blog. But if people are interested, let it be known through the comments and I'll upload it [including some scans of its very good booklet].

1 comment:

  1. Thank you so much, really appreciate finding your post here. I recorded this at the time and it was a show I played back many times. Some years ago the cassette didn't return to it's case and has never been found since.

    ReplyDelete