Harouna Dembele was born in Bobo Dioulasso in Burkina Faso.
He is descended from a griot family. From a very young age, he was initiated into the traditional instruments of his country: djembé, balafon, doundoun, bara. Moving to Abidjan with his father and three brothers, also percussionists, he begins to play in the numerous parties of the Ivorian capital, weddings, baptisms, funerals and other ceremonies where these instruments are ubiquitous. When he does not play the djembe, Harouna despite his young age, he attends the long vigils and plays the balafon in front of the “elderly”.
In 1994 he was awarded the title of “Chef drummer” of the Yelemba group from Adidjan. Around that time he begins to perform in African dance shows in which dance and percussion are always associated. First undisputed soloist, he holds regularly internships for amateurs and professionals, privileged moments that allow him to convey his love for the djembé and the balafon. With the Yelemba Harouna he revisits, between tradition and modernity, the vast multi-ethnic repertoire of the Ivory Coast, bringing the shows of him in Europe and all over the world.
In Nantes, where he moves with five musicians of the group, he explores new musical territories with Akeïkoi, bringing traditional rhythms and songs in Senoufo and Dioula, tight skin percussion, balafon and rare instruments such as boloye. After several years of mutual discovery between the different members of the collective, Akeïkoi’s first album was released in 2002, Binkafô, which marks the encounter between rock and African ethnic music.
Returning to Bobo Dioulasso, in 2004 Harouna founded his Parisi group. Composed of 12 artists from Burkina Faso. Parisi reflects the artistic influences of the different ethnic groups present in Bobo Dioulasso, the cultural crossroads of Africa western and melting pot of the renewal of traditional Burkinabé music.
He has released two albums.
– Landa (2007)
– Benkan (2013)