This is a cultural education break unlike any other in the UK. Leading West African drumming experts and djembe makers, Wooden Roots, announce the Wooden Roots Experience - a weekend of West African drumming, dance and performance. Taking place on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th August at the beautiful Snape Maltings near Aldeburgh, the weekend offers a unique and joyful getaway for families, adults and couples.

The programme, which is here, includes classes for beginners through to advanced djembe players, and will be led by world-class West African music artists. Snape Maltings offers a serene setting, and the shingle beach in Aldeburgh is a short drive away. 

Different packages are available: Gold, Silver and Bronze offer varying levels of access to activities throughout the weekend.

Gold and Silver ticket holders attend workshops on Saturday and Sunday at Snape Maltings, and a Dununba Celebration on Saturday evening, which is a vibrant cultural event from countries including Guinea, Mali and Burkina Faso. It will include drumming, dancing and storytelling.

Gold ticket holders enjoy an extended programme with an event on the evening of Friday 2nd August. 'Smoke N'Drums' will take place at Wooden Roots' base in Rendlesham - 4.5 miles south of Snape - and includes food, drumming and a meet and greet with the Experience artists.

Bronze tickets are for one day only but people can buy add-ons for other activities.

A Sunday night concert by pioneering female kora player, Sona Jobarteh, will bring the Wooden Roots Experience to a close, and tickets are on sale to the public here.

Rustic camping without power is available in quaint Butley, which is five miles south of Snape. Camping, caravans and motorhome pitches are available at a special Wooden Roots Experience price of just £10 per pitch per night. Visitors have free 24-hour access to toilets in the Oyster Inn. Alternatively, the privately run Suffolk Barn is available for a special price of £250 for Friday to Monday in Butley, which offers a king size bed, sofa bed, living room, bathroom and kitchen. Cooked breakfast is available for £15 per person. 

For more information and to book, contact the Oyster Inn or email info@woodenroots.com. There are no additional booking fees and people will need to quote their Wooden Roots Experience ticket number.

Wooden Roots founder and leading djembe craftsman, Marcus Brown, explains: “The Wooden Roots Experience promises to be an exciting, dynamic, specialised event. We believe in inclusion, so we welcome participants from absolute beginners to highly skilled drummers. We're incredibly proud to have some of the best globally renowned West African artists involved. I know that everyone will leave the weekend feeling inspired, uplifted and totally energised. As I like to say, it's going to be fire!”

Drum teacher and lead artist Babara Bangoura Fakoly, adds: “I'm very excited about teaching throughout the weekend, and sharing the authentic nature of West African drums and drumming with people. It's wonderful that Wooden Roots is offering people an exceptional quality experience in a beautiful setting. It's going to be a great weekend! We truly encourage people of all ages, cultural backgrounds and ability to join us for this event."

Dance teacher, Aida Diop, comments: “This year's Experience includes sessions to help people connect and make sense of how West African drums and dance work together. The dancing will bring some wonderful vibes to an already wonderful weekend. It's also an opportunity to gain a more authentic understanding of a dynamic artform.”

Fraser Wilson, Head of Performance and Public Engagement at Britten Pears Arts, says: “We're delighted to be hosting the Wooden Roots Experience again which is a big, bold happening with exceptional artistic talent. We love supporting the event as it echoes our own reputation as an internationally recognised cultural organisation. Naturally, we encourage people to snap up tickets and be part of what is becoming an iconic weekend in rural Suffolk.”

Payment plans are available for Gold and Silver tickets until the end of June.

Thanks to funding from Arts Council England, Wooden Roots are offering free places to underrepresented communities and subsidised tickets to people who may need them.

For more information and to buy tickets, visit: www.woodenroots.com/wooden-roots-experience-august-2024 

Find out more about the artists here: www.woodenroots.com/experience-headliners 

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Notes to Editors

Media contact: Elma Glasgow, hello@elmaglasgowconsulting.com or 07738004670.

About Wooden Roots Ltd

Having discovered an interest in djembe playing whilst living in Los Angeles in the early 200os, Wooden Roots founder, Marcus Brown became part of the city's West African drumming and dance community. He learned from world-leading performers and became good friends with musicians who play in Hollywood movies and on scores, and perform around the globe. Wooden Roots remains part of this network.

Marcus formed Wooden Roots in 2007 whilst living in a tiny 600 sq feet apartment in Woodland Hills, California. It was a low key affair as he focused on Wooden Roots at weekends, building, selling and teaching djembe. 

The turning point came in 2009 when Marcus and wife, Gemma, bought their first house and got married. With more space the business grew; classes were held in their living room and they built a drum making workshop in the backyard.

In 2017, Wooden Roots supplied Marvel with custom djembes which are used on film scores for both Black Panther movies and are seen on screen in the sequel's opening scenes. 

In 2018, Marcus (originally from South London) and Gemma (originally from Durham) moved from California back to the UK, eventually settling in Rendlesham, Suffolk. They set up Wooden Roots on Bentwaters Park in Rendlesham - a former WWII US Air Force airbase turned business base. 

As word spread of their arrival, in 2020, Ipswich Museums contacted Gemma and Marcus to invite them to be part of a cultural programme for the exhibition, Power of Stories, which by coincidence, was to feature three original costumes from Marvel Studios' Black Panther 1. More here: www.powerofstories.co.uk/the-story-of-wooden-roots 

The pioneering project in the heritage sector went on to win prestigious awards for its authentic, high quality storytelling and Black community engagement.

They ran a series of workshops, which helped to embed Wooden Roots in the West African drumming landscape regionally and in London. Since then, the couple have gone from strength to strength, running workshops for schools, producing shows with elite West African musicians, participating in events in London and creating the Wooden Roots Experience. The inaugural Experience took place at Snape Maltings in 2023, attracting participants from around the UK and globally.

Wooden Roots have been funded by organisations including Arts Council England. Their mission is to connect lives through creating a safe and fun environment where the local community can explore and learn a culture they would not typically expect to find.