The Dogon Tribe

And The Ancestors From Space


The Dogon people of Mali in West Africa have a Space history, and it's quite a compelling one too.

Located in the middle of the desert on the South East corner of Mali; "they seem to know things about astronomy which they shouldn't have been able to know," says Laird Scranton, an author.

Artist's View of sirius A and Sirius B

Scranton has authored a number of books two of which are; The Science of the Dogon (Decoding The African Mystery Tradition) and Sacred Symbols of the Dogon (The Key to Advanced Science in the Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs).

 Nobody knows where the Dogon got this incredible ancient knowledge from, except the Dogon themselves who have done a wonderful job of preserving their traditions for centuries. Since they have no written language, they put a high priority on the purity of the spoken language. 

They know facts about the Sirius star system without having access to modern telescopes and other equipment and speak about the second star which cannot be seen by the naked eye. The Dogon have called it the dark star for centuries long before it was discovered by astronomers in the middle of the 20th Century. 

They know the correct orbital period of the two stars, Sirius A and Sirius B.

Dogon priests say their cosmology describes how a tribal god Amma created matter. Their knowledge is so amazing in that they have linguistic definitions for the scientific concepts of the Atom, Proton/Electron Neutron, Fundamental Particles and the Four Spin Categories of Particles. They also know that Matter forms Membranes, the Calabi-Yau space, how Matter begins as waves and that it vibrates. They describe how matter is woven from threads, a modern scientific concept that describes matter as woven from strings.

Read also: The Museum of Unnatural History's post about "The Dogon, the Nommos and the Mystery of Sirius B"

Sister Fa!

Not An Average Rap Artist!

Sister Fa can rap better than most. She can sing and her show is electrifying! I watched her at The Flyover Portobello on Friday, 20th September and was really mesmerised by her performance.

Fatou Diatta a.k.a. Sister Fa has dominated Senegalese hip hop for most of the last decade with a powerful flow, great melodies and a bewitching personality. A symbol of the emerging liberation of African womanhood, her lyrics empower and inspires women of the world to assert themselves in a male dominated world.

Her music is peppered with influences from hardcore rap, Senegalese pop and innovative reggae. Multilingual, she sings in French, English, Wolof, Manding and Jola. Her album 'Sarabah - Tales From The Flipside of Paradise' is very rich indeed, covering lots of styles and languages.

A campaigner for women's right and a champion in the fight against female genital mutilation in Africa and the globe, it was unsurprising that there were a lot of young women in the audience. Her work for the Orchid project was lauded by the MC and most of the women present.

Part of the London African Music Festival, I really felt privileged to watch this bundle of energy on stage proving to all that she is more than a rap and hip hop artist.

Sister Fa and I

The Festival ended on Sunday 23rd September, but I promise to publish more photos from those events I was lucky enough to catch. I also want to thank the promoters Joyful Noise for their vision and hard work, bringing and producing multiple events (sometimes up to six venues) in an evening. Now that is a feat!

Stay cool,

'Bodederek


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Cruising With An African Queen!

Nigerian Celebrity and Star!

I was in Royal company last Saturday night. In the same car as Salawa Abeni on her way to a gig!

 Queen Salawa Abeni

Queen Salawa permitted me to ride in her car after making sure I was aware of Yoruba traditions and protocols. She was very gracious indeed.

So, there I was, cruising down the North Circular road, shoulder to shoulder with a Celebrity Singer. A Child Star and now a Queen. I felt privileged and lucky that I happened in the right place at the right time, not only to meet a woman of immense talent and culture, but to be actually in the same car with an actual African Queen.

Queen Salawa Abeni was kind, dignified and courteous throughout the journey. I was pleasantly surprised that we had a lot in common. My love of music and African culture has made me aware of Salawa's career from when she was a little girl and a star on the Nigerian music scene so many years ago.

A massive star in Nigeria, she has entertained fans worldwide. Has performed for the rich and powerful both in Nigeria and abroad. Her powerful voice and vocal range is quite impressive, tailor made for her repertoire.

She will be performing with the Yoruba Women's Choir next month at London's South-Bank Centre.


'Bodederek


www.MusicArtinDesign.co.uk