African Jam Session at Norcross Gallery, for an Incredible Cause

Norcross resident Naima Abdullahi went on a morning walk during her recent visit to Bamako, Mali in West Africa, craving mangoes. What she found was a cause that she and her partner, Andrew Heller, have been rallying in support of for the last months.

At a roadside fruit and vegetable stand, she heard a baby whimpering. It was Souleymane, a 2-year-old boy with retinoblastoma, or eye cancer. Adbdullahi, who works with refugees in the U.S., was from was deeply affected by her meeting, crying all the way back to their hostel and then resolving with Heller to help the boy with the rest of her vacation money. 

She went to the hospital with his mother, who did not have the $150 for the visit. The couple has been supporting his treatment from afar by wiring money to friends in Bamako, who have been arranging hospital visits for Souleyamane.

Enter, Norcross. On Friday night, the new Vargas and Harbin Studio Gallery at 27 S. Peachtree Street will be hosting a benefit concert from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Three members of the genre-defying band Toubab Krewe will perform--and 100 percent of donations go to Souleymane.  The concert is free, but a $5 donation is suggested.

Both Abdullahi and Heller have deep roots in Africa.  Adbullahi is from Kenya, while Heller plays in Toubab Krewe, an African-rock mash-up group that tours the country, filling up large festivals and venues.

The band often uses African instruments but rocks out in a uniquely Southern way, reflecting the members’ roots in Ashville, NC. At a recent show, a funky instrumental song was paired down to just tribal drums for a few kinetic minutes of experimentation. The crowd couldn’t help but dance along, dripping with sweat by the end of it. 

"Their music avoids cliché with authentic extrapolations of traditional Manding beats, percussion, and a jam-band flare," The New Yorker wrote in one review. "By not confining itself to one genre, Toubab Krewe has the potential to bring its worldly and unpredictable music to a mainstream audience," said David Dye in an NPR review. 

At the Norcross show, three of the five band members will be on hand, says Heller.  You might find a more traditional West African sound than normal—but he’s just not sure what to expect, which might be the most exciting part. They will bring a 21-string kora, or West African harp, and a 12-string kamelngoni, or “young man’s” harp, as well as drums.  “This will definitely be a special occasion-type ensemble,” said Heller.

“A trio lends itself to more improvisation, a jazz-oriented style,” said Heller, who usually plays guitar, piano and fiddle for Toubab.

At the first hospital visit, the doctors told the Soulyemane he had six months to live. Now he’s done chemotherapy and treatments for his eye, and his prognosis is looking up. Currently, he needs to have a test done to make sure the cancer has not spread to his other eye. Abdullahi said she would also like to make sure that he is getting the nutrition he needs to heal properly. 

“I work with people who have been through hell,” she said, adding that seeing Soulyemane suffering was one of the worst things she has experienced. The path of her life brought her to the U.S. But if not, she said that this could have just of easily been her or her child. “I made the decision to help. This is a life-time thing now.”