Manden Express: The powerful Music of Burkina Faso to Dublin’s Africa Day Stage 

Manden Express is a Dublin-based band skillfully mixing traditional West African instruments with bass, guitar, and drums to create a rich, rhythmic fusion of ancestral sounds and contemporary groove. Its multicultural lineup features musicians from Ireland, Italy, and Chile, including Paul McElhatton on Kamele n’goni and djembe, Nico Sewe on balafon and djembe, Claudio Mercante on guitar, Fjon Klein on bass, and Cathal O’Leary on drums. Together, they fuse West African traditional music with funk, flamenco, jazz, and rock to create a dynamic, cross-cultural musical experience.

We sat down with Paul McElhatton from Manden Express, who performed at Africa Day on May 18th at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham in Dublin delivering a much-anticipated set that showcased the band’s vibrant blend of global sounds. 

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A Musical Calling from France to Mali and Burkina Faso

McElhatton’s first encounter with West African music began during his extensive travels in his twenties, starting with a trip to France in 1999. “I just went travelling. There were loads of Africans there, and of course, France colonised a lot of the really cool music places: Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Senegal.”

This initial exposure to West African music left a lasting impact. Upon his return to Ireland from France, his learning continued. “We were just in drumming groups in Dublin, Cork, Galway,” he recalls. “We moved around and we made a bloody racket on Shop Street in Galway.”

In 2001, McElhatton traveled to West Africa for the first time. This would be the first of many trips there that would deeply shape his musical path. “The first time, I travelled overland. I flew into Malaga, took a boat across to Morocco, and then made my way down through the Sahara.” His travels led him through a vibrant circuit of cultural and musical learning.

“I was twice in Gambia, twice in Burkina Faso, and then in Guinea and Mali”. Each trip deepened his understanding of the region and their musical heritage. His academic background supported this passion. “I have a master’s in African politics. I studied comparative politics, and I did a lot of work on Guinea and Burkina Faso.”

“So the first couple of times, going off to Africa was a focus on just drumming. I went five or six times altogether,” he says. A pivotal moment came when he returned to Ireland and saw a fellow musician playing a Kamele n’goni, a traditional West African ten-string harp. Instantly captivated, he decided to learn it himself. “It kind of went from there” he recalls… “When I went to Burkina Faso, I changed from studying djembe to studying the Kamele n’goni. That’s where things really started to take a new direction.”

Learning to Play: Time and Focus in West Africa

Along the way, McElhatton, met influential figures who shaped his musical journey, He speaks of his time in Burkina Faso: “There was a guy called Salif Traoré. He lived very close to me. I took a couple of lessons from him, but I used to see him around a lot,”. That thread of connection would reappear in an unexpected turn of events:  “Nico, who’s in the band now and originally from Chile, also went there back in 2001 and he studied with the exact same guy.”  He laughs, “It was Nico’s first time in Ireland, and somehow, we’d both ended up learning from the same teacher in the same city. The odds of that are so small.”

McElhatton emphasizes the importance of time when learning an instrument, and focuses on two factors that shaped his experience studying in West Africa. “When you’re starting off with drumming, it really helps if you can go somewhere for a solid three months,” he explains.“You’ve got the time, you’re staying there, and maybe you’re in a village where not much happens. So you just go, ‘I’m going to solidly play for three months.’”

In contrast, learning in Ireland presents more distractions: “Here, there are way too many distractions: the cost of living, work, having to go out and do things. Over there, it’s just pure time. And that gives you space to really develop your playing style.” That focused, immersive learning environment created space not just for technique but for genuine musical growth.

From Raw Rhythms to Refined Fusion: Developing the Sound of Manden Express

Over the years, Manden Express has undergone several lineup changes and is now in its fifth incarnation. “There were four of us initially,” says McElhatton. “Someone on an African bass drum, a bass player, a djembe player, and an electric guitarist. We focused on creating these rolling, layered rhythms, and the guitarist would just shred rock over the top. It was pretty raw and minimal at the time. We played a few festivals, and eventually we crossed paths with some jazz musicians. That’s when things really started to evolve. They put a bit more manners on us.”

Manden Express often incorporates drum kits, bass, and guitars to create a fresh contemporary vibe: “Most of the songs are based on traditional roots. While the instruments themselves are very old, some of the songs date back a long time, some are ancient, others just quite old. The overall sound feels traditional, but the style and arrangements are more modern. 

Collaboration is at the heart of the band’s creative process. He describes their evolution as being shaped by a series of “gentle nudges”, where each member brings their personal flair and background into the mix. “Sometimes you’ll just play the traditional bassline, but then that guy who’s playing the bass has played in funk bands and he’ll make it into funk. And you’re like, ‘actually, I didn’t even think of this as being a funk tune before.’” McElhatton remembers the early days of the band’s approach to arrangement, saying he initially aimed for a faithful reproduction of the music he studied in West Africa. He discusses the influence of griot tradition in West African music.

A griot (also known as jali or djeli) is a traditional oral historian, storyteller, musician, and praise singer. Griots are custodians of culture, passing down genealogies, history, and social commentary through music and spoken word. They play vital roles in West African society musically and ceremonially and are central to events such as weddings and religious celebrations, especially in Mali, Senegal, Guinea, and Burkina Faso.

Performing Live: From Africa Day to Corporate Stages

As the conversation shifts to performing, the energy of African music and its unique impact on Irish audiences. “I know one lad from Burkina Faso and he can’t believe the songs he grew up with being played here. It’s like showing up in some far-flung village and finding a trad session. It’s really underrepresented here, especially for an Irish audience.”

On the band’s sound, he says, “I wanted it to be dancey enough for people who like to dance, but also for those who like to rock. Afrobeat is just so intuitive. You sit down or get up, and you can’t help but enjoy it.” Africa Day provides a chance for full expression: “Because it’s Africa Day, we can just go all in with exactly the type of music we want. There’s no pressure to hold back or fit in.”

Even in more formal settings, the band doesn’t tone things down: “We even played at a big corporate diversity day, and we thought we should tone it down? But in the end, we just did our thing.” No matter the venue, the ethos stays the same. “You’re not there to reproduce a CD version of a track,” he says. “You’ve got to be flexible. I can’t think of anything we’ve done that’s felt stuffy. We’ve always just played how we play.”

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To find out more about  Paul McElhatton and Manden Express visit the group’s website. You can also find Manden Express on Instagram and Facebook, and listen to their music on Soundcloud.