On Sunday, May 25, 1997, at the Mercer Arena in Seattle, Rakumi Arts and the Northwest Folklife Festival presented An African Aesthetic in Two Worlds. The following article previewed that concert in the May '97 issue of the Rakumi Arts Newsletter

In cooperation with NW Folklife Festival, Rakumi Arts brings together a diverse set of musicians to explore the aesthetics and evolution of African and African-American string instruments as well as acoustic and electric guitar styles from both continents. Hosted by Andy Frankel, Paul De Barros, and Jon Kertzer, the concert begins with traditional West African string instruments like the kora, a 21-string harp-lute played by Djimo Kouyate a griot musician from Senegal. From Mali, Cheikh Amala Diabate performs on the five- and seven-string konding, which pre-dates the banjo.
   From Guinea, Alpha Yaya Diallo plays acoustic and electric guitar in a style that specifically imitates the percussive, cross-rhythmic, and multi-layered sound of the kora. On the American side, the roots of West African traditional string instruments can be traced to the diddley bow, a crude one-string instrument, played by Delta Bluesman, Lonnie Pitchford. His style on this instrument also predates the slide technique associated with African-American blues, which he will also demonstrate on the guitar.
    Contemporary acoustic blues player and singer, Guy Davis updates Pitchford's sound. Then local R&B jazz guitar wiz Michael Powers makes the final connection in the Americas. The guitar also found its way to other parts of Africa, including the island of Madagascar, where guitarist and bandleader D’Gary interprets the instrument based on the technique that defines traditional instruments like the valiha and box zither. The entire show ends with a massive guitar jam. This is D’Gary's first appearance in the U.S. He will also perform at 3pm Sunday on the Bagley Wright Lawn stage and on Monday night, he’ll share the stage with Alpha Yaya Diallo at the Crocodile Café (paid admission).