tiny in stature but giant in Heart & Spirit.

Their voices & healing dances express the voice of the Creator.

I believe they are a channel directly to the Source.

Their sense of care in a community is a reminder of what it is to be human in a time -

where the world seems to have forgotten of what it is to be living for

love & life "

Zena Edwards

___________________ CO ______________________

Making music is the most primeval form of human expression, imbued with a mystical power to communicate at an instinctual level that transcends language and speaks directly to the soul. The San Bushmen - the indigenous people of the southern African region are Africa's oldest inhabitants, having lived in the region for approximately twenty-five thousand years.

For them music and dance are not merely creative expressions but an integral part of their being. The San are renowned for their medicine dance in which they use rhythm to heal both the individual and the collective. The medicine men & woman have a supernatural potency called “n/um” – that enables them to cure sickness. To activate this substance they dance and sing, creating sounds and a tempo that heats the n/um causing it to rise up to their heads and evoke trance. !Ngubi and his eldest daughter Anna are both skilled traditional healers who guide the trance dance and practice the ancient healing arts the San healers taught to healers of the southern African Bantu tribes.

International recognition and performances

Tragically, after decades of systematic marginalisation and dislocation, the modern world threatens these ancient people, their culture as hunter-gatherers, and their strange and beautiful music. The San involved in both the original recordings with Pops Mohamed. In May 2001 four San musician Ngube, Anna, Kuela and Marcela visited England to launch the SanScape Project. Performing with Pops Mohamed and Zena Edwards, the artists were reunited after their success. There are over twenty different San groups distinguished by their language spread over Southern Africa. There are seven different San groups in Namibia with Ngube, Anna, and Marcela from the Noa, based in the corridor in the Omaheke Region. Kuela is from the Dcuikhoe tribe inBotswana.

This pure sound from the depths of the desert is a fascinating glimpse into the world and music of this most ancient and spiritual of people who deserve to be heard and respected.

 
Approximate price per performance of San family

The !gubi Familiy are family of 6 San musicians, ranging in age from 18 to 80, and are the keepers of a vanishing tradition of San Musical Culture. Their home is Corridor 18, in the Kalahari Desert, Namibia.  The San are the originators of trance dance and their music is specifically designed to evoke an altered state of consciousness through the rhythms and beats, enabling the musician to enter trance and perform healing on both individuals and the tribe. They traditionally sing and dance throughout the night playing the mouthbow, the mbira and the zuma (four-stringed instrument). The music of this family has captivated the ear of top international artists. Most notably was their collaboration with Pops Mohammed, and Zena Williams, who worked with the elders of the family to produce his internationally acclaimed album, SanScapes.  And most recently, have worked with renowned UK artist, Banco De Gaia, receiving rapturous reviews from London audiences. In 2008, the Family conducted an educational tour of the UK, focusing on the highlands and islands of Scotland, exploring common historial and spiritual links between land and people they shared with the people they met. 

An excellent storyteller, healer and musician !gubi is a much loved and respected man both amongst his tribe and around the world. Unfortunately however his family have suffered hardships in Namibia and they are still struggling for land and basic resources such as food and water. No longer able to hunt, he heals and makes music, but also relies on government handouts to feed and clothe his family.   

Anna was born in 1960, the daughter of !gubi and one of eight children. She suffered from polio as a child and so is now paralysed from her waist downwards. However not letting her disability get the better of her she has become andaccomplished healer and traditional musician. Anna has a hauntingly beautiful voice and is one of the best chanters in the region where she lives. She is a powerful traditional doctor and heals with her chanting, going in and out of trance during their traditional ceremonies and is extremely knowledgeable about herbs and medicines of the bush.

John and Magnus are 22 and 18 respectively, and are Anna’s sons.  They are both extremely talented dancers, and delight audiences with their exuberant dances impersonating Lions, Ostriches, and of course, the Hot San Boys who have just arrived in town!  They represent the success of passing on of traditional musical knowledge passed down from their grandfather. This is vitally important in ensuring that the traditional music, dance and culture of the San tradition will survive.