B a l a f o n W o r k s h o p s
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Summer 2025
Balafon workshop in Sédéron, France
July 26-August 2
with Kanazoe Dioubate of Burkina Faso
For more information contact lisa@lisafeder.com
+33.6.50.57.66.27
who we are and what we groove to with
Griot (or jeli) music comes from the Manding, West African culture. Since 1235 CE, the start of the Malian Empire, the music and words inspired its listeners toward a greater good, toward living together in harmony. This noble profession and the style of message that it sends need not, nor should not, be fixed to one culture anymore.
Manding Grooves bridges the gap between local and global while simultaneously preserving the deep humanity in Manding culture. We work creatively with Manding musicians and a cross-cultural team worldwide to generate a sustainable income for the musicians and their families.
Mission
We create transformative cross-cultural experiences using art, music, and mindfulness techniques to learn about ourselves, our cultural conditioning, and our shared humanity.
Vision
To create a world in which West African musicians are highly respected and well paid for sharing their values and culture with an international community.
Lisa Feder is a cultural anthropologist and educator specialising in transformation and cross-cultural community building. As the founder of Manding Grooves, a France-based organisation, she creates immersive workshops where participants interact with West African jeli (griot) music, particularly the balafon—as a way to explore our cultural conditioning and deepen our cross-cultural awareness. She organises retreats in West Africa, France and the United States. Furthermore, she is a dharma-based teacher and life coach for an international community online. Buddha-dharma, the Western Mysteries (Tarot), West African culture, and other spiritual and traditional arts informs her work. She now calls what she practices Integral Evolution.
With over 20 years of experience in musical cross-cultural learning, movement, and mindfulness, Lisa’s approach is deeply informed by her dedicated dharma practice and karma yoga training under the tutelage of the late Qapel (Doug Duncan) and Catherine Pawasarat founder of Planet Dharma. Lisa has participated in many group and solo retreats at Qapel and Catherine’s Clear Sky Meditation Center in BC, Canada.
Famoro Diouabté is recognised as one of West Africa’s most talented and graceful balafonists. Hailing from Conakry, Guinea, He comes from a long family lineage of griots or jeli in Malinké. Jelis are African oral historians and musicians who played in the royal courts since the 13th century. Famoro's grandfather, El Hadj Djeli Sory Kouyate, was griot to President Ahmed Sekou Touré and first balafonist in the Guinean Ensemble Instrumental with Sory Kandia Kouyaté. Famoro and Sory Kandia's son, Sekouba Kandia Kouyaté, are the next generation of Guinea's finest musicians and singers.
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Famoro has performed with contemporary musical ensembles and artists from Guinea and Mali, including Sekouba Bambino, Mory Kante, and Sekouba Kandia Kouyate, current Chef d'Orchestre of the Ensemble Instrumental de Guinée. He participated in artistic residencies in France in 1994. Since coming to New York City in 1999, he has collaborated in educational programs at the Juilliard School and performed at the MET (2021). He reinterpreted a Peter Gabriel song for a compilation, he records with Ruben Gonzalez, the list goes on and on. Famoro created Kakande, a Manding Groove dance band in 2006. Kakande plays in music festivals such as Celebrate Brooklyn! and is a regular on the roster at Shrine World Music Venue in Harlem, NYC.
our history
American anthropologist Lisa Feder and Guinean griot balafonist Famoro Dioubaté, the company founders, met in 2006 in New York City. Lisa was doing doctoral fieldwork at Cornell University on griot culture in the diaspora. Famoro was forming his Manding groove band, Kakande. Famoro offered to teach Lisa the balafon and the art of jeliya, the profession of griots and they found a common groove. It was the start of a lifelong project together to bring jeliya, the music and culture of the griots from West Africa to the World.
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Since then, Famoro's band, Kakande consists of dedicated American band members such as Andy Algire, Sean Dixon, Raul Rothblatt, a following of loyal, New York-based fans, and a well-established reputation in New York City. They play regularly at Shrine World Music venue.
Lisa published her book, "Jeliya at the Crossroads" with Palgrave Press (2021) based on her personal experiences working with griots, and about the curious place in which this musical culture sits - at a crossroads between a West African local culture and the world at large. Lisa organises balafon workshops and produces ongoing interviews with griot musicians on topics such as the experience of immigrate to Europe/North America, the cross-cultural, financial, and other difficulties, dreams and aspirations, and much more.
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Our company is dedicated to fair and equitable collaborations. We support environmental, economical, social, and spiritual awareness in our work.