In the organizer's words:

Performers
Emi Toko KAPIW - mukkuri, vocals
Fukiko Goukon APAPPO - tonkori, mukkuri, vocals

The Ainu are considered to be the indigenous inhabitants of northern Japan, who lived mainly on the islands of Hokkaido, Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. The name Ainu means "man" in the Ainu language.

Kapiw and Apappo are the pen names of two sisters. Kapiw means "seagull" and Apappo "flower". They have been learning the songs of their people since childhood. They sing Upopo - everyday songs, which are short and usually simply structured and each revolve around an activity: a game or a chore. Sometimes the singing itself becomes a game, as in the Rekuhkara competitions, where Ainu throat singing is practiced by women. Work songs are rhythmic, with lyrics and melodies based on the work at which they are sung. But even such everyday songs usually have more spiritual than secular meanings. With Kapiw & Apappo, these almost forgotten songs are often meditative, but are also accompanied by the shell zither Tonkori and the Jew's harp Mukkuri.

Kapiw & Apappo began performing regularly throughout Japan in 2012. Both are experts in contemporary Ainu music in the traditional style. The beauty of their voices and the sound of their instruments are filled with the soul they have inherited from their ancestors. The two sisters are coming to Europe for the first time in 2026.

Co-organizer: Netzwerk Klangkosmos NRW

Price information:

Free admission, registration required