Who We Are
Sibo Bangoura
Born into a Griot (musicians) family, Sibo learnt to play drums at a young age. He trained with Ballet Matam through his youth and at the age of 18years was a soloists for the Ballet. He came to study with Bocca Camara (one of Guinea’s most talented drummers of his generation) and then was made a leading soloist in Bocca’s group Percussion Bocca. In 1999, Sibo made his first trip to Australia with Jala, a performance group from Conakry, Guinea’s capital. He then moved to Zurich where he spent nine-months teaching, performing and touring around Switzerland with several local West African groups. Sibo eventually returned to Australia in 2002, where he is now settled in Sydney.
Rachel Bangoura
Rachel Bangoura has travelled to Conakry, the Republic of Guinea many times to study traditional Guinean dance and rhythm. In Conakry, she studied privately with principal artists from Les Ballets Africains and Ballet Matam, including the renowned director and choereographer Sekouba Camara, Aminata Conte and Nema Camara. In Australia she has studied under masters such as Epizo Bangoura (Guinea), Mory Traore (Guinea), Abdulaye Camara (Senegal), Aku Kadogo and Fode Mane (Senegal). She has developed a close affinity with the Guinean artistic communities in Conakry and here in Australia. Rachel now performs and works alongside the leading West African musicians in Sydney.