The Socialist 8 July 2010

Mass action can stop cuts

Mass action can stop cuts

Build united action to stop the cuts

What the Socialist Party says

Con-Dem budget cuts: Hitting those on benefits hardest

How will George Osborne's budget affect families?

Housing benefit cuts - increasing homelessness

Cuts to disability benefits will increase misery

Fight the savage cuts by Neath/Port Talbot council

Hull: Rallying against the austerity budget

'Godfather' turning in his grave

NUS anti-cuts conference

Youth Fight for Jobs Protest!

BNP forced to abandon its 'festival of hate'

South Africa: 5,000 sacked miners on strike

Kazakhstan: The fight goes on

News in brief

Organise against academies now!

Limited new 'final' offer facing BA cabin crew

PCS will fight new attack on redundancy pay

Unison by-election: fighting leadership needed

Shrewsbury Pickets march for justice

Lindsey refinery fire death: inquiry needed

Workplace news in brief

Unite general secretary election:

Interview: Ken Clarke's prison plans

Pride, prejudice, fightback and hypocrisy

A warm welcome at Summer Camp

Socialism 2010 Saturday 6 - Sunday 7 November

When the financial wizardry lost its magic

Mali's master of the ngoni

Previous issues, etc

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Mali's master of the ngoni

SENAN REVIEWS Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba in concert at London's Barbican centre.

If you define music as 'pro-fessionally' delivered crotch-grabbing and screeching, it was absent. The musicians did not pose in designer clothes of the latest haute couture; nor were there 50 underwear-clad dancers in the background to support.

Instead Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba even had to struggle through the audio system set-up, and still managed to land the sound naturally into the ears of the packed crowd.

But by 'natural' don't assume that this music was in any way a 'soft' sound. Rather it vibrated the whole stage and the audience.

It was impossible to believe that these sounds were emerging through such very subtle hand movements and through such a small piece of wood in the hand that looked more like a cricket bat.

The hands of the dancing drum-mer were tied to his instrument and never stopped vibrating. The female singer had to walk across to help wipe his sweat with a towel as he didn't have a chance.

In between her voice poured out into the hall, filling it. The show ended with the entire, previously restrained, audience jumping up and down with appreciation.

Ngoni is the Bambara name for an ancient traditional lute found throughout West Africa. This band comes from Mali and is worth listening to and definitely worth going to see.

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Mass action can stop cuts