The Pan African Youth Orchestra (PAYO) yesterday treated over 5000 students in the Ivorian capital Abidjan to its brand of music, which is characterized by diverse traditional rhythms and their contemporary extensions. Conducted by Kweku Kwakye, the Ghanaian group – which comprise over twenty musicians – treated the huge crowd to combination traditional rhythms that have been reworked and expanded into neo-classical pieces. Indeed, rhythms from a vast array of traditional instruments including giant fonton from drums, xylophones, at entenben flutes, talking drums and a variety of shakers / bells sent fan son a musical journey that is definitely on the contemporary tip but with its heart and soul firmly embedded in Africa. Undeniably, an extraordinary bunch of kids playing extraordinary music coupled with the superb direction by Kwakye turned the performance into an African celebration – a celebration that enjoined African kids appreciating their past in contemporary terms. Interspersed with continuous cheers and cat calls from the students, PAYO created tradition within tradition while showcasing conventional music in an orchestral disposition that recalled the authenticity of indigenous African music and compositions by primor-dial musicians. Through a new synthesis that is jubi-lant and vitally rhythmic, PAYO wor-ked its way into the hearts of thestudents, some of who jumped ontothe stage and performed Ivorian tra-ditional dances as their peers chee-red and supported them withrhythmic clapping. With a voice a voice that is high, sup-ple and charged with enthusiasm, afemale atenteben player surprisedthe crowd as she sang a solo that re-verberated through the rather hugeauditorium that overlooks lagoonEbrie with amazing speed. The concept of MASA was develo-ped in 1990 at the Liege conferenceof Ministers of Culture and Franco-phonie. In 1998, MASA was officiallynamed an international organizationfor the promotion of African perfor-ming arts and in January 1999, anagreement was signed between LaCôte d’Ivoire and MASA in respect ofestablishing its headquarters in thecapital Abidjan.John OWOO (Ghana)