H’SAO

STUDY GUIDE

Drawing from gospel, traditional African music, as well as their Chadian roots, H’sao display clear soul, pop, and R&B influences. All the members of this Montreal (Canada) afro-pop group are singer songwriters; elements of their various influences are smoothly blended with African rhythms to create fresh songs in a unique style. Masterful a cappella singing sets them apart on the vast soundscape of world music.

www.hsao.ca

THE STORY OF H’SAO

Montréal-based band from H’SAO has been capturing the hearts of small audiences and large crowds alike since 2001. The band has always been passionate about sharing its unique blend of modern sound and traditional African musical influences. H’SAO has travelled the world, delivering electrifying performances, launching three innovative albums and, most of all, developing a musical signature that spans several genres and thus transcends the “world music” category.

At first, voices–but what voices!–were their only instrument. Then, brothers Caleb (guitar), Mossbass (bass) and Izra L (keyboard) along with their childhood friend Dono (drums) added musical instruments to their rich and inspired compositions. Today, the self-taught musicians continue to weave the impressive a cappella harmonies that made their fame into their powerful live performances. These seasoned musician-singers have stayed true to their roots, drawing from gospel, soul, R&B, reggae and Chadian music. The result is as skilful and heartfelt as it is unique. Whether its style is labeled Afro-fusion or Afro-jazz, H’SAO is defined by the strength of its voices and vocal harmonies, its rhythms and its authenticity. Onstage, the band sets itself apart through energetic performances, punctuated by catchy choreography and warm interactions with the audience. This distinctive presence was sought by prominent festivals here and abroad, such as WOMAD (New Zealand), Brisbane Festival (Australia), Queensland (Australia), Vancouver Folk Music Festival, Francofolies, Luminato (Toronto), Montreal International Jazz Festival, Nuits d’Afrique, Festival d’été de Québec, Coup de cœur francophone, Awesome Africa (Afrique du Sud), FrancoFête (Moncton). Besides touring Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas, the band made appearances at several noteworthy events. H’SAO notably played before the Queen of England on Canada Day, at the Francophonie games, with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, at Québec City’s 400th anniversary and at the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Gala.

Ten years after the release of its self-titled album and four years after Vol 235, the band launched Oria in 2013. The level of social commitment expressed on this third album is a tribute the impressive journey that lead up to its creation. Nominated for World Music Album of the Year at the Gala de l’ADISQ, Oria is an invitation to rediscover the boundless vocal talent of H’SAO and to experience a more subdued, masterful and varied instrumental universe. Its biting and poignant songs address peace, social justice, religion, love and other universal themes. The band will tour Canada and the United States throughout 2014-2015 while simultaneously releasing its latest recording in July 2015, an album entirely dedicated to their outstanding vocal harmonies with the sole accompaniment of a guitar and some small percussion instruments. The album is titled Saar, which means ‘the source’ in Chadian.

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This is H’sao :

Caleb : Guitarist and co-songwriter. It’s at his place that the magic happens. Rehearsals are held at his home studio and he always sets the pace. A passionate man with a head full of ideas, Caleb is meticulous and is always looking for fresh new sounds. On stage, he and his guitar really get the party started! He’s also currently working on a project called afrotonix ( www.afrotronix.com )

Mossbasss : Bassist, co-songwriter and singer. With his charmingly discreet demeanour, he embodies the H’sao groove. On stage, he and his bass are a rhythmic force to be reckoned with.

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IZra L : Pianist, co-songwriter, dancer, and singer. He’s the youngest in the group, but by no means the least talented! His voice will touch your heart and his dance moves always get the crowd on its feet. Israel is obsessed with beats; his rhythm and talent always guarantee a one-of-a-kind show.

Izra L project : www.myspace.com/izral0

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Dono : Drummer, co-songwriter, and singer. He is blessed with unwavering motivation and H’sao pride as he oozes rhythm from behind his kit. Both his determination and sensitivity are felt in every drum stroke.

CHAD

THE CHADIAN FLAG THE COAT OF ARMS OF CHAD

UNITY – WORK -­‐ PROGRESS

4 A LITTLE ABOUT CHAD

Chad (officially known as the Republic of Chad) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, to the east, the to the south, and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west.

Chad is divided into multiple regions: a desert zone in the north, an arid Sahelian belt in the centre and a more fertile Sudanese savanna zone in the south. Lake Chad, after which the country is named, is the largest wetland in Chad and the second largest in Africa. Chad's highest peak is the Emi Koussi in the Sahara, and N'Djamena, (formerly Fort-Lamy), the capital, is the largest city.

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Chad is home to over 200 different ethnic and linguistic groups. Arabic and French are the official languages. Islam and Christianity are the most widely practiced religions.

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HISTORY

Beginning in the 7th millennium BC, human populations moved into the Chadian basin in great numbers. By the end of the 1st millennium BC, a series of states and empires rose and fell in Chad's Sahelian strip, each focused on controlling the trans-Saharan trade routes that passed through the region. France conquered the territory by 1920 and incorporated it as part of French Equatorial Africa.

In 1960, Chad obtained independence under the leadership of François Tombalbaye. Resentment towards his policies in the Muslim north culminated in the eruption of a long-lasting civil war in 1965. In 1979, the rebels conquered the capital and put an end to the south's hegemony. However, the rebel commanders fought amongst themselves until Hissène Habré defeated his rivals. He was overthrown in 1990 by his general Idriss Déby. Since 2003, the Darfur crisis in Sudan has spilt over the border and destabilised the nation, with hundreds of thousands of Sudanese refugees living in and around camps in eastern Chad.

The capital, N’Djamena, experienced a significant rebel threat in early 2008, but has had no significant rebel threats since then, in part due to Chad's 2010 rapprochement with Sudan, which previously used Chadian rebels as proxies. President Déby in 2011 was reelected to his fourth term in an election that international observers described as proceeding without incident. Power remains in the hands of an ethnic minority.

Darfur Refugees camp in Chad

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Humanitarian situation

According to the , Chad has been affected by a humanitarian crisis since at least 2001. As of 2008, the country of Chad hosts over 280,000 refugees from the Sudan's Darfur region, over 55,000 from the Central African Republic, as well as over 170,000 internally displaced persons.

In February 2008 in the aftermath of the battle of N'Djamena, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes expressed "extreme concern" that the crisis would have a negative effect on the ability of humanitarians to deliver life-saving assistance to half a million beneficiaries, most of whom – according to him – heavily rely on humanitarian aid for their survival. UN spokesperson Maurizio Giuliano stated to : "If we do not manage to provide aid at sufficient levels, the humanitarian crisis might become a humanitarian catastrophe". In addition, organizations such as Save the Children have suspended activities due to killings of aid workers.

Women in Mao, where water is provided by a water tower. Access to clean water is often a problem in Chad.

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The United Nations' Human Development Index ranks Chad as the seventh poorest country in the world, with 80% of the population living below the poverty line. Years of civil war have scared away foreign investors; those who left Chad between 1979 and 1982 have only recently begun to regain confidence in the country's future. Over 80% of Chad's population relies on subsistence farming and livestock raising for its livelihood. The crops grown and the locations of herds are determined by the local climate.

Before the development of oil industry, cotton dominated industry and the labour market and accounted for approximately 80% of export earnings. Cotton remains a primary export, although exact figures are not available. ExxonMobil leads a consortium of Chevron and Petronas that has invested $3.7 billion to develop oil reserves estimated at one billion barrels in southern Chad. Oil production began in 2003 with the completion of a pipeline (financed in part by the World Bank) that links the southern oilfields to terminals on the Atlantic coast of Cameroon. As a condition of its assistance, the World Bank insisted that 80% of oil revenues be spent on development projects. In January 2006 the World Bank suspended its loan programme when the Chadian government passed laws reducing this amount. On July 14, 2006, the World Bank and Chad signed a memorandum of understanding under which the Government of Chad commits 70% of its spending to priority poverty reduction programmes.

The country's television audience is limited to N'Djamena. The only television station is the state-owned TeleTchad. Radio has a far greater reach, with 13 private radio stations. Newspapers are limited in quantity and distribution, and circulation figures are small due to transportation costs, low literacy rates, and poverty. While the constitution defends liberty of expression, the government has regularly restricted this right, and at the end of 2006 began to enact a system of prior censorship on the media.

If Chad can maintain a semblance of stability foreign investments will eventually return, but even 24 years after the last successful coup that brought President Idris Deby to power, investors are still wary of investing in Chad.

A Chadian tailor sells traditional dresses.

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Culture

As in other Sahelian countries, literature in Chad has suffered from an economic, political and spiritual drought that has affected its best known writers. Chadian authors have been forced to write from exile or expatriate status and have generated literature dominated by themes of political oppression and historical discourse

The people of Chad have customarily disdained modern music. However, in 1995 greater interest has developed and fostered the distribution of CDs and audio cassettes featuring Chadian artists.

The music of Chad includes a number of unusual instruments such as the kinde, a type of bow harp; the kakaki, a long tin horn; and the hu hu, a stringed instrument that uses calabashes as loudspeakers. Other instruments and their combinations are more linked to specific ethnic groups: the Sara prefer whistles, balafons, harps and kodjo drums; and the Kanembu people combine the sounds of drums with those of flute-like instruments.

The most popular places for playing these instruments are the churches, the millet beer bars, and at traditional dance nights in the villages.

Football (Soccer) is Chad's most popular sport. The country's national team is closely followed during international competitions and Chadian footballers have played for French teams.

In 1994, H’sao has performed its first concert out of church in N’Djamena, the capital of the country.

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Glossary :

A Cappella : Italian words for "in the manner of the church" or "in the manner of the chapel"; this music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound; a piece intended to be performed in this way.

Song – One of H’SAO’s trademark song, combines Sara, English and French languages

Gomindi y ko Gomindi y ko dengam made’m ke o wa Gomindi y ko dengam made’m ke o wa dengam made’m bo Gomindi y ko dengam made’m bo

Y nel bi sein y amigo y man bai bo Or ban ngay ni’bol ray tap ngay ad kor ray I want you to know that’s my right Feel my words feel it more…

I Nar gat ale o nar n’dor ale o nar kass ale o (ce n’est ni avec ton argent de commerce moins encore avec celui de la boisson que tu arriveras à me corrompre…) Je refuse d’être traître jamais de la vie je ne vendrai mon honneur pour quoi que ce soit or Ban ngay ni ’bol ray tap ngay ad kor ray

I can't even clean the truth you left in my mind Cause you promised me something and I believed in it When I just let me head down and think about it I won't ever trust you, what ever you say and do.

Gomindi y ko dengam made’m ke o wa Gomindi y ko dengam made’m ke o wa dengam made’m bo Gomindi y ko dengam made’m bo

C’était en pleine guerre que Rim tu es parti héros ou déserteur C’est l’écho de ta voix qui te poursuit encore… Je veux tu saches et ça, c’est mon droit prends ma peine et ma douleur

I Nar gat ale o nar n’dor ale o nar kass ale Je refuse d’être traître jamais de la vie je ne vendrai mon honneur pour quoi que ce soit hééé..

Gomindi y ko dengam made’m ke o wa Gomindi y ko dengam made’m ke o wa dengam made’m bo Gomindi y ko dengam made’m bo

Ta parole d’honneur que tu viens de jeter ta parole d’honneur Que tu as foulé au pied ta parole d’honneur délaissant notre amitié ta parole d’honneur… Gomindi y ko…..

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