Saikouba Badjie
Saikouba embodies the bougarabou tradition, earning his living playing for ]ola communities in Senegal and the Gambia. Performances typically start in the evening and continue until daybreak. While an assistant wipes the sweat from his brow and feeds him a fortifying potion of roots, Saikouba plays through the night without stopping. Some performances last for days. Before playing, Saikouba puts on bracelets of banana-shaped bells (sijaowangas) and heats his drums in front of a fire to brighten their tone. When the drums are ready, spectators form a circle with Saikouba and take turns dancing in front of him, alone or in small groups. The women accompany Saikouba by clapping palm-frond clackers (ulewao), emphasising the dancer's basic downbeat.
