Fana Soro
About the Artist
Fana Soro is a hereditary master of the balafon, West Africa’s big wooden xylophone. Fana hails from the Senoufo tribe in northern Cote d’Ivoire and spent 9 years as a member of the prestigious Ballet National de Cote d’Ivoire touring England, Holland, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Yugoslavia, Martinique and West Africa. In 1990, he moved to Norway to perform throughout the Norwegian educational system and work as Artist in Residence at the International Children’s Museum in Oslo. From there, Fana continued to tour throughout Northern Europe with the celebrated West African group, Super Djembé Kan. In 1997, Fana moved to Vancouver and formed Masabo, a performance group specializing in traditional West African music, dance and story. Fana and his family have made their home in Ottawa since 2010.
We often see negative images and stereotypes of Africa in the media. My goal is to help change those images and show what Africa truly looks like, sounds like, and feels like.
Artist's Programs
Curriculum Links
African culture, dance, geography, language, movement, music, rhythm, storytelling, teamwork and community building.
Artistic Disciplines
Music
Diversity
Black, Culturally Diverse, Francophone, Men+, Person of Colour
Age
All ages, Children ages 5 - 11, Children ages 12 - 18, Seniors, Junior Kindergarten, Senior Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8, Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 12
Language Proficiency
English, French
Fana Soro in action
