Appalachia to Africa

Throw Down Your Heart is a compelling
documentary on banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck’s
musical pilgrimage

JAMMING JOURNEY: Throw Down Your Heart

by MALCOLM FRASER

Nashville-based banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck, known for traversing various musical genres, took a creative leap with a recent musical pilgrimage to Africa, where the roots of his instrument lie. Throw Down Your Heart is a documentary of this voyage through Uganda, Tanzania and Mali, where Fleck jams with local musicians of all stripes. It’s a compelling cultural portrait and a treat for music lovers in general.

Director Sascha Paladino, in his first feature, takes an approach all too rarely seen in contemporary documentary—he stands back and lets the subject speak for itself, in this case the various musical traditions that he and Fleck encounter along the way. From the Ugandan villagers who sing while doing menial labour by day, then beat on homemade percussion instruments all night, to Malian superstar diva Oumou Sangare, there’s an incredible diversity of both lifestyle and music. With language and cultural differences inhibiting conversation, Fleck and his hosts often go straight to playing music, and Paladino, to his credit, simply shows them playing.

Of course, certain sensitive cultural issues are never far from the surface. Many of the places Fleck visits were active in the slave trade, and the locals speak of music’s importance in relieving their ancestors’ despair. In fact, though the film’s title sounds like a general musical imperative, it’s in fact the translated name of a Ugandan slave port—people who reached there would “throw down their heart” upon realizing what was in store for them. Here Paladino avoids opening wounds, digressing into exposition or wallowing in guilt, but simply lets the unavoidable issue take its place in the context of the journey.

Fleck himself is never fleshed out as a “character;” it’s clear early on that the film isn’t so much about him, when he expresses a desire to stand back and “blend in” (quickly catching himself with a laugh at the absurdity of a white American blending into an African community). He and his hosts have their dialogue through music, and though his banjo doesn’t always seamlessly fit with the traditional African instruments, to be able to see this communication—while hearing some amazing music—is a real pleasure.

THROW DOWN YOUR HEART
OPENS THIS FRIDAY, JULY 31 AT
THE CINÉMA DU PARC