Kagabas is the name of the indigenous people of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Santa Marta, Colombia and also the name of the new album by Lion’s Drums, the result of Harold Boué’s week-long expedition and subsequent recordings of Kagaba society and their habitat. An exploration of ancestral knowledge in Colombia, the seven tracks offer a glimpse into a Kogi (Kagabas village), which are steeped in the aural tradition, where writing doesn’t exist. It’s a deeply respectful work and aims to compliment the Kagaba People’s core self-belief as ‘Guardians of the Earth’.
The finished record was fully approved by the MAMAs of the villages, the spiritual and intellectual guides whose work is to archive memories and knowledge through sound.
Whilst the final production, ambient pulses and subtle electronic flourishes were patched and layered in Lion’s Drums Marseilles studio, the mainframe of the songs are the solo vocals of the village MAMA who, like all Kagaba People, sing to wild animals and the natural habitat. Harold, the MAMA’s 15 year old son Camilo and the MAMA spent 7 days exploring the mountainous jungles of the Sierra Nevada, the spiritual home of the Kagaba People which dates back five thousand years, with Harold clinging onto his digital recording device, spurred into action when the group came upon a monkey, snake or river.
This on-going tradition of singing is a staple feature of Kagabas culture and is considered fundamental in connecting with the environment. It’s their way of giving back to the wild, as they must hunt to survive. It is a way for the Kagaba People to feel safe around these animals, to live peacefully amongst them without fear. As there’s no writing, music and singing are a way to pass memory, knowledge and awareness down through generations. The ongoing ecological disaster, the uncertainty of the current times and the temptation for many of the youths to leave the mountains for the big city life make this transmission issue all the more critical.
The Kagaba People are highly sensitive to sound with different codes used in an abundance of situations. On hearing the songs of the MAMA of the village, Harold immediately decided that his engraving would not involve interrupting or editing the vocal passes, instead he would retain their aura, and place subtle layers of synths and rhythmical samples in and amongst the field recordings, when he returned to France.
Every evening the touring party would end up in different camp, after over a half-day’s walking, exploring and sampling. Harold would consolidate his days’ work and write up the compositional ideas for the music he had just recorded. Made to feel incredibly welcome by all the people in the villages, he’d eat pineapple, watermelon, fish, rice, beans and always round a fire, in company. There were limits. His admittance to the Sierra Nevada was one week, a standard practise for outsiders. He was also not allowed to visit the highest village, where all the MAMAS lived.
Situated on the northern tip of South America directly east of Barranquilla, the Kagaba People are indigenous people, who consider themselves to be the Guardians of the Earth, concerned by the modern world’s attempts to destroy it. The mountain in Colombia is their home and is a microcosm and mirror of the planet, in which every ecological zone is represented. The environmentally damaging lifestyles, which stem from capitalistic dogma affects their own environment (climate change, deforestation) and from their vantage point on the mountain, they can see how these lifestyles detrimentally affect the rest of the planet.
Lion’s Drums – Kagabas from Lion’s Drums on Vimeo.
The initial idea for the project was spawned after Harold listened to a podcast on Radio France International (RFI) highlighting the affects of climate change on the Kagaba People. Soon after, he made contact with the Nativa charity, founded by Franz Florez, excited about the idea he had just dreamt up, to dig deeper and sample these incredible people and their song, sung in the Kogi language which pre dates Colombian Spanish. After various emails and conversations, Harold’s project took off and it wasn’t long before he set off from France to Colombia.
Abstraxion is another artistic pseudonym of Harold Boué, who has released various singles on John Talabot’s label Hivern Discs. He is a recording artist who DJs around the world (when permitted) and he can be heard mixing on various international radio shows and in lockdown has been hosting his own regular DJ mixes.
100% of the revenues made from the project will be donated to Colombian charity Nativa, who are dedicated to overcoming the environmental challenges, such as logging and deforestation, that the Kagaba People precariously navigate. You can support this beautiful project and buy your copy here.