Maarten Vinkenoog (1976) is a percussionist and anthropologist with a passion for traditional West African music and drums. He spent years teaching at the International School for African Art Wulabakan of Ponda O’Bryan in Amsterdam. In 2006 he played and studied with the acclaimed master drummer Sega Sidibè in Bamako, Mali. In this musical metropolis he joined a group of traditional drummers and griots – the singing bards of West Africa. For six weeks he played with them during various ritual meetings and ceremonies. His musical quest led him to Brazil earlier, where in 2001 he studied the ritual rhythms of Afro-Brazilian heritage. He did so in the religious temples and dance academies of the city of Salvador da Bahia.
In recent years, Maarten Vinkenoog has started to dedicate himself more and more to exploring new artistic spaces, in which he can translate older African musical techniques and styles into more contemporary Western disciplines such as theater, pop music, poetry and modern dance.
(photo: Jan Hoek)
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