Free CDs of a unique moment in music

Poster produced for the concert recorded in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo (Image courtesy Jesse Hardman)

Last night on the local broadcast of All Things Considered you may have heard an interview with Minnesotan journalist Jesse Hardman. He told the story of how, while working in Sri Lanka, he came across a small enclave of people who are descendents of soldiers and laborers brought from African in the 1500s.

Despite six centuries of disconnection from their roots, they have maintained their cultural identity, including a musical tradition of singing in a Portuguese creole. The music which sounds distinctly African is played on simple homemade instruments. Each song mounts in a crescendo which culminates in some of the singers leaping to their feet and dancing.

Jesse Hardman and his news team recorded one of the concerts by the group which calls itself the Kaffirs. He produced a CD called "Kaffir Manja," and shipped most of them to Sri Lanka where they are now available at concerts.

However he did leave some at MPR to give away. So I have 17 copies of the disc available. The first 17 commenters on this post who indicate they want a copy, will get one free of charge.

Comment away!

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