Onstage company
Documented collaborators
Meet Andre Marie Tala, a Cameroon-born musician whose groundbreaking Bend-Skin sound helped shape Central African music from Paris to the world. Born October 29, 1950 in Bandjoun, Tala has been blind since age 15, turning a life challenge into a beacon of creativity. He pioneered the Tchamassi style in the 1990s and became a central figure in the Bend-Skin movement, blending vibrant rhythms with soulful storytelling.