NOMANSLAND tells a very personal story of slavery from the point of view of the African victims. Men, women and children speak of the terrible events and their consequences: imprisonment, separation, longing, homesickness, hope, resistance and finally the conscious resolution not to pity oneself but to set out to live the future.

African and European musicians alike participated in this production. The melodies, rhythms, lyrics, fragments and atmosphere of the songs they developed and recorded are extremely personal and subjective reactions to the events, expressing a great deal more than what is said in the lyrics: The memory of the homeland Africa, physical and emotional pain, the endless transatlantic voyage, labour and oppression, courage and faith in the new countries.

“As a jazz musician in Europe, one’s mind is culturally always someplace other than where the musicians surrounding one are. It takes a while to figure out where! At least I didn’t figure it out until I toured Africa. In Zaire in 1984 I realised how connected and comfortable I feel with Zairean music and musicians. It was all so natural. There I also understood how much the American music culture is influenced by the African, especially jazz. Thus the circle — Europe – Africa – America – Europe — closes.“ Jasper vant’t Hof


1. “Mihiyo Ha Bohimara” (Nomansland)

We begin in primal Africa, its tranquillity disrupted by the terrors of slave hunting. A young woman tells of the desperate and futile attempt to free her loved one from the chains of the slave hunters with the help of a “Kola”, a magic spell. For her, “everything is destroyed, for one can only love another once.”

2. “Gno Hon Mouna” (No Time to Live)

Despite its dangers, the natural environment of Africa often provided refuge and protectio.......
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