Balanta men

Available for over a year

The first of a two-part feature from Guinea-Bissau. A small forgotten and isolated country in West Africa, Guinea-Bissau has only recently emerged from years of political instability and civil war. Until now its music, combining local traditions with a unique creole culture, has rarely been heard outside the country. Lucy Duran visits Guinea-Bissau, and encounters the exuberant musical parties of the Balanta men, who ornament their bodies in white clay and bicycle chains, and cross-dress.