"Djumbala!" by Oorkaan, featuring Vernon Chatlein & Friends, passes on Afro-Curaçaoan music to a new generation
World premiere at the Ruhrtriennale in Bochum (Germany) on September 16; Dutch premiere on October 11 at Podium Mozaïek (Amsterdam)
Afro-Curaçaoan rhythms and sounds take on a theatrical form in Djumbala!, the new concert by Oorkaan For young and old. Composer and percussionist Vernon Chatlein builds upon, among other things, Muzik di Zumbi and Tambú—musical forms he has been exploring for years. Together with percussionist Lidrick Solognier, flutist Angelo Ursini, and director Caecilia Thunnissen, Oorkaan will bring this musical world to theaters and concert halls in the Netherlands and abroad starting in September.
Vernon, Lidrick, and Angelo often go out together. This morning, they get stranded in the ocean surf because of high tide. They hear the waves and close their eyes to listen more closely. Djumbala, Djumbala!… It sounds like music. They see two corals jutting out of the sea. Things that people and animals have lost in the ocean have gotten caught on the corals: a shell, a bow, a grater. They tap, drum, and blow on everything they find. It sounds most beautiful when they make music together, as if they were a single instrument. That’s how they stoke the fire of their friendship, which keeps them warm forever.
At Djumbala!, the audience doesn’t have to sit quietly in their seats. Children and their families are invited to move along, sing, and clap. They share the stage with the musicians and become part of what’s happening there.
Centuries-old rhythms are given new life
Composer and percussionist Vernon Chatlein grew up in Curaçao and has been researching the island’s musical history for years. In *Djumbala!*, he incorporates elements from *Muzik di Zumbi* and *Tambú* into new compositions. Both traditions are rooted in Afro-Curaçaoan history and feature distinctive rhythms, sounds, and instruments such as the benta (a Curaçaoan mouth bow) and the wiri (iron grater). Chatlein approaches this heritage not merely as something to be preserved, but as living music through which new stories can be created with respect and curiosity.
Vernon on what this means to him personally: “To me, this enriches the world we live in. We share the same Earth, the same air, and the same sun, but also culture, music, and heritage. I think it’s truly special that you can let a child hear something they’ve never heard before.”
Tour
"Djumbala!" is a co-production by Oorkaan, Podium Mozaïek, and the Ruhrtriennale.
September 13 – tryouts at Theater het Pakhuis in Hoorn
September 16 – world premiere during the Junge Triennale in Bochum
October 11 – Dutch premiere at Podium Mozaïek in Amsterdam
Then on tour; performance schedule: oorkaan.co.uk/agenda
The production will premiere during the season marking Oorkaan's 25th anniversary. For 25 years, the music ensemble has been presenting theatrical concerts that introduce audiences of all ages to music from different eras, genres, and parts of the world.
