The group Nimba, directed by M'Bemba Camara, is composed of dancers and musicians from West Africa (Guinea, Senegal, Mali, Côte d'Ivoire) who met in France with the aim of spreading the tradition of their region of origin. M'Bemba Camara, choreographer, percussionist, arranger and creator of the group's costumes, has been teaching African dance since 1985 in Peter Goss's studio in Paris, holding courses both in Europe and in Guinea. The other members of Nimba have worked in various African companies, including the Ballet Kotéba of Abidjan, the Ballet Bougarabou of Dakar, and the National Ballet of the Ivory Coast. Nimba was created in 1988.
The company proposes a traditionally inspired show of dance, music, song and acrobatics on stilts. Among the dances in the repertoire: "Wolossodon" (story of slavery in Africa and its abolition), "Nimba" (harvest - mask dances), "Douga" (dance of the hunters - story of the secret hunt), "Doumdoumba" (dance of the strong men), "Yelidon" (dance of the sorcerers), "Soli" (dance of the circumcision), "Sacred Forest" (initiation dance - duel between evil spirits and healers), "Timini" (dance of the orphan Casamance), "Sabar" (Senegalese dance with chants), "Yole" (Sierra Leonean folk dance with sikos).
Lately, Nimba musicians have chosen to use only traditional instruments. These are the djembé (solo drum played by hand or with a stick), the balafon and the kora (melodic instruments), the bolon (rhythm instrument), the krigni and the tama (both percussion instruments) and the siko (square drum made from a single skin).
