By John Owoo

(Berlin – Germany)

As part of Kuyum Tanzplattform 2025, which concluded last week at Ufer Studios in Berlin, Guinean guitarist, vocalist, and composer Mouctar Paraya Diallo assembled a quartet whose performance showcased the richness of cultural exchange through music. 

With Moussa Coulibaly (Balafon – Burkina Faso), Janos Crecelius (Djembe – Germany), and Emmanuel Jeau (Saxophone – Martinique), each musician brought a unique voice to the ensemble, transforming the studio into a vibrant musical groove. 

Undeniably, Diallo’s lyrical guitar and soulful vocals establish a tone of intimacy and depth. His compositions, rooted in the traditions of Guinea but open to experimentation, provide a flexible framework that allows musicians to interact.

Indeed, Coulibaly’s balafon shimmered with earthy resonance, its melodic patterns playfully dancing with the guitar while grounding the music in a distinctly West African timbre, drawing applause and cheers from the multi-racial audience.

Crecelius’s djembe infused the performance with dynamic energy. His rhythms alternated between delicate undercurrents and driving, percussive bursts that lifted the ensemble into moments of pure exhilaration.

Against this background, Jeau’s saxophone provided a surprising and evocative counterpoint, enriching the music with jazz-inflected improvisations and solos. Sometimes soaring, sometimes tender, the saxophone connected continents and traditions, weaving threads of the African diaspora into the fabric of the music.

What made the evening special was not just the technical skill displayed but the strong sense of exchange. Each piece played like a conversation across borders, mixing tradition and modernity, intimacy and expansiveness. The simple setting of Ufer Studios enhanced this feeling, drawing the audience into a shared experience where music became a language of connection.

By the end, the performance filled the room with warmth and resonance—a testament to the ensemble’s ability to transcend cultural boundaries while staying rooted in their diverse identities.

Kuyum Tanzplattform 2025 is being sponsored by Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und Gesellschaftlichen Zusammenhalt, Hochschulübergreifendes Zentrum Tanz Berlin, Ufer Studios, Theatre Haus Berlin, Kulturplakatierung Dinamix, Rausgegangen and Tip Berlin.

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