Meet the founders

Mohamed Camara is a highly sought-after performer and Guinean music educator based in Melbourne. He was born into the Manding culture in Guinea Conakry, West Africa, whose rich and vibrant musical tradition has been a life-long passion. As a child he was apprenticed to internationally renowned Guinean master drummer Ton Ton Sylla, where he studied djembe, dun duns, and song. He also taught students traveling from Europe, America and Australia.

Mohamed went on to perform in many of Guinea’s leading drum and dance ensembles, including Ballet Bolonta, internationally renowned ensemble Les Sorciers de Guinée (directed by Miriam Makeba's percussionist Papa Kouyaté), and was a founding member and djembe leader of Ballet Destin. Mohamed has played djembe for master dancer Alseny Soumah, and has studied and performed with Guinea's great master drummer Fadouba Oularé.

Arriving in Australia in 2007, Mohamed has performed at the Melbourne Recital Centre and Hamer Hall, and has performed and facilitated workshops at WOMAdelaide, Woodford Folk Festival, Darwin Festival, Moomba and Dark Mofo. Mohamed has toured nationally with Asanti Dance Theatre and Muhanamwe, sponsored by the Australia Council’s Playing Australia. Mohamed has conducted workshops at the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne University and NMIT, and has taught African drumming and culture through CERES, the Song Room and Australian Children’s Music Foundation.

In 2016 Mohamed founded contemporary Guinean band Jarabi, fronting the band on the kora, vocals and djembe, and is also a member of African Cuban fusion band Ausecuma Beats - both represented by record label Music in Exile. Mohamed has collaborated with electronic producer Jonny Faith, jazz drummer James McLean through Speak Percussion, was co-writer on a track for Australian film soundtrack ‘Le Champion’, and played on the Cat Empire’s latest album recording.

Melbourne percussionist Anna Camara developed a passion for African drumming from the age of ten. This has led her to play a broad range of percussion instruments and styles, and she has completed a Bachelor of Music Performance with Honours at the Victorian College of the Arts, specialising in Repertoire Percussion.

Having completed an Honours research paper on the traditional Guinean and Western repertoire percussion pedagogies, Anna has developed a unique understanding of the different teaching methods and their benefits.

Anna has traveled to Guinea West Africa on six occasions to study djembe, dun duns, balafon, dance and song, with funding from the Australia Council for the Arts and Friends of the VCA. 

In 2010, Anna undertook a national tour with Guinean percussion and dance ensemble, Muhanamwe, sponsored by Playing Australia.

Anna has received many awards for her percussion playing, including the Banyule La Trobe Young Artist of the Year Award, Athenaeum Award for Instrumental Soloist, VCA Honours Scholarship and the MSO Snare Drum Award. She has performed as a soloist with the VCA Symphony Orchestra, for the APRA Screen music awards, the Asia Pacific Breakthrough Summit, and played for the soundtrack of Australian film Bran Nue Dae. In 2023, Anna was percussion chair for the Melbourne production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat at the Regent Theatre.

Anna has taught percussion at Mac.Robertson Girls High, Melbourne Girls Grammar School, Carey Grammar and the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School, and currently teaches at Eltham High School and Ringwood Secondary College.