RHYTHM IS AN intrinsic part of a carnival. In Rio de Janeiro the drum rhythm is relentless and driven by the city's competing samba schools. Revellers at the Lan Kwai Fong Street Carnival will be moving to the beat of African drummers.
The band, Africa Djembe, comprises a team of five drummers led by Mamadou M'Baye.
The performers are all from Senegal in West Africa. 'We have all been drumming since we were small children,' says M'Baye.
This will be M'Baye's third year performing at the Lan Kwai Fong Street Carnival.
'Last year it was amazing. Everywhere we went people were responding very positively,' says M'Baye. 'We were the last performers on the stage. And by all accounts the crowd did not want to let the drumming or the carnival end.
'This year we will be playing two different types of drum, the djembe and the sabar,' he says. 'We are going to be trying to teach the crowd some African dance as well.'
