Badara SeckMusic, Orality, Participation - Fabbrica Europa

as part of Oltre le mura / Beyond the walls
a Fabbrica Europa project for Autunno Fiorentino 2026

A project curated by Senegalese griot and musician Badara Seck, together with Moroccan musician Amine Ezzalzouli, Senegalese percussionist Matar Mbaye, cellist Alice Chiari, and featuring Senegalese kora player Edouard Manga and dancer and performer Susannah Iheme.

Through music, singing and oral storytelling, the project offers a workshop exploring practices of intercultural transmission and participation, highlighting neighbourhood spaces as places where communities can meet, share and create culture through music and singing.

Music becomes a privileged means of discovering, understanding and connecting with others, celebrating cultural richness and taking shape as an inclusive and engaging experience.

In addition to the workshop sessions, the project led by Badara Seck also includes a series of public presentations and a final concert.

Badara Seck is a Senegalese singer, songwriter and performer, born into a historic griot family — figures who play a central role in West African societies, whose role is to orally transmit collective memory, history, poetry and music within their communities. A charismatic artist endowed with extraordinary vocal abilities, he has built an international career combining music, theatre, performance and cultural mediation, moving naturally between African traditions and contemporary Western artistic languages. His artistic practice is strongly characterised by intercultural dialogue, experimentation across genres and social engagement, with particular attention to themes of identity, migration, memory and encounters between peoples.

Amine Ezzalzouli, a Moroccan musician, embodies the spiritual and ritual essence of tradition through driving rhythms, spiritual chants and the use of traditional instruments. His music, influenced by Sufism, has evolved through encounters with other genres, contributing to its international reach.

Matar Mbaye, a Senegalese percussionist and singer, comes from a family of griots and is a second-generation artist (his father was the director and his mother the principal dancer of the National Ballet of Senegal). Since the 1990s, he has lived and worked between Senegal and Italy. He regularly leads African percussion courses and workshops.

Edouard Manga is a renowned Senegalese musician and kora player, performing on the traditional string instrument of West Africa. Not coming from a griot family, he approached the kora in a unique way. An eclectic musician, he has collaborated with numerous artists from the Senegalese and international music scenes.

Alice Chiari, a singer and multi-instrumentalist with a degree in cello, is a founding member of the duo Magosanto. Always searching for her own distinctive sounds, she has spent years experimenting with electronics and sound effects and has collaborated extensively across music, theatre and dance.

Susannah Iheme is a dancer, performer, and educator. Her artistic practice spans the performing arts, cultural participation, and social inclusion. Her research explores the relationship between performance and visual arts. She is a Dancewell facilitator, leading dance practices for people with Parkinson’s, and collaborates with the Sollicciano Prison Theatre Company. She is president of the European ROOTS&ROUTES network, which focuses on cultural diversity and social inclusion in youth work.

ACTIVITIES CALENDAR

MON 19 – TUE 20 OCTOBER 4 – 6 PM
PARC Performing Arts Research Centre | Florence
BADARA SECK | AMINE EZZALZOULI | MATAR MBAYE | ALICE CHIARI
Workshop for voice and instruments
led by Senegalese griot Badara Seck
with Moroccan musician Amine Ezzalzouli, Senegalese percussionist Matar Mbaye and cellist Alice Chiari

FRI 6 – SAT 7 NOVEMBER 5 – 7 PM
Il Lavoratorio | Florence
BADARA SECK | AMINE EZZALZOULI | EDOUARD MANGA | MATAR MBAYE | ALICE CHIARI
Workshop for voice and instruments
led by Badara Seck with Amine Ezzalzouli, Matar Mbaye, Alice Chiari and Senegalese musician Edouard Manga

OLTRE LE MURA | Beyond the Walls is a project by Fondazione Fabbrica Europa as part of Autunno Fiorentino 2026.