Bushmen Of The Kalahari – !Gubi Tietie

Recorded in the Kalahari Desert in 1995, the project was initiated by Pops Mohamed, a musician renowned for his dedication to protect and preserve the indigenous tribal music from Southern Africa. He organised the San expedition to the Kalahari to record and preserve the inspiring traditional music of Africa's oldest inhabitants, the San or commonly known as the Bushmen. MELT 2000 released 3 albums with mainly the Tietie San family. The albums have since been passed to Pops Mohamed who has made sure the material remains available from all major music platforms.

!Gubi Tieti, tribal eldest and traditional healer, daughters Anna and Marcella, son Johannes and  all their children & grand children used to live as one family at the edge of the Kalahari desert in Namibia some 250 kms of dusty roads (and often hardly recognisable tracks in the sand) away from the next centre of civilisation Gobabis.

!Gubi who plays the handheld zuma (four stringed instrument made from a vegetable oil can) and mouth bow gathers with his clan around the typically small bushfire where chanting, clapping, recalling of news and memories, humour and most importantly healing  through their dance trance took place under the blanket of a star studded night sky. The San Trance Dance is the oldest form of meditation that enables participants to contact their ancestors by entering a state of !kia (trance). This spiritual state is accessible to all, and an integral part of their lives, bringing the whole community together. !kia is to go into unconsciousness ('half death'), letting go of your spirit in order to remonstrate with Gauwa (God).

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 but want to be heard.

2000 - Live Performances and Workshops in the UK by Robert Trunz

“Upon their arrival in London the San were taken to the October Gallery where they stayed for almost two weeks. During this period the Gallery hosted two evenings of music entitled The Spirit of the San. The opening night on 2nd May featured a viewing of the SAN art exhibition, speeches by guests of honour, then High Commissioner of South Africa Cheryl Corulus and Namibian High Commissioner Monika Nashandi.

Just over 100 guests were then led upstairs to the small theatre and took their seats either on the cushions on the floor or the on the seats encircling the allocated place for the musicians. !Gubi was the first to grace the stage and begun with a solo on the handheld zuma (four stringed instrument made from a vegetable oil can). Entrancing the audience with his remarkable playing and singing he was then closely followed by his daughters Anna and Marcella. They then joined in with songs and chants and started clapping, creating a solid and strong rhythm. . Particularly enjoyable was the hunting song in which he plays the mouth bows according to the rhythm of the animal they are chasing. The highlight of the show was the healing dance they performed for which they invited the audience to sit in the middle to experience the power of the chants and dance. Bashfulness cast aside a surprising number took their place in the middle to have a taste of what the healing is all about.”