The Baka pygmies of Cameroon have one of the oldest music cultures on earth. In 2004, Eka Morgan travelled into the rainforest with members of the band Baka Beyond who built the Baka people their own special Music House.

Music is the life-blood of the Baka pygmies. They sing to draw animals prior to a hunt and to wake the forest spirits to protect them. They use music to cure illnesses, to overcome disputes or to stay in contact while traveling through the dense undergrowth. Music permeates their everyday life. Everyone sings and plays and there is no sense of performer and audience.

Baka Beyond

In the early 1990’s British musician Martin Cradick and his wife Su Hart traveled to South East Cameroon to make live recordings of the haunting sounds of the Baka. Upon their return home Martin and Su formed the band Baka Beyond, incorporating Baka sounds into their music and popularizing the Baka sound worldwide.

Baka Beyond is a multicultural band with members from Ghana, Senegal, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, the UK and France. They blend African and British instrumentation with penny whistles and fiddles paired up with the kora (a harp) and djembe drums.

Musicians on a mission
 
Cradick and Hart, along with a team of volunteers went back to Africa with a mission. They used the royalties of their band’s recordings to build the Baka a special house, at the Baka’s own request. Producer Eka Morgan accompanied the crew to meet the Baka people and witness the building of ‘The Music House.’

The Music House was produced by Eka Morgan. The program was originally broadcast in April 2004.