Polobi & The Gwo Ka Masters has been played on NTS shows including Dubuntu, with Mendemele first played on 8 April 2023.

This is clearly a striking voice. A song of the earth, deeply rooted in tradition. Its deep growling tone pierces the air, with a curious speech-song full of resonances, but resembling nothing else on the musical map.

The voice is that of Moïse Polobi, 69 years old, descended from a family of former slaves. He’s been singing and sounding his djembé-like Gwo ka drums since childhood, heart-beating the memory of his ancestors in Guadeloupe. He was initiated at an early age, thanks to his…