Tamsier Joof Aviance or Tamsier Aviance (né Tamsier Joof; born 17 May 1973,"Senegambian taking the dance world by storm", ''West Africa'', 5 June 1995, p. 4.''The Comet'' newspaper (Stevenage) interview : "This is it", 23 August 2001, p. 21.), formerly known by the

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

Tam Jo, is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

dancer, choreographer, actor, model, entrepreneur, radio presenter, and author. He took the name ''"Aviance"'' after joining the House of Aviance, one of the legendary

vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...

- ball houses in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. As well as appearing in several

musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

, and as stage backing dancer for

Mary Kiani Mary Kiani, usually spelled Märy Kiani on her records, is a Scottish singer who first had hit songs as vocalist for dance music act The Time Frequency (TTF) in the early 1990s and later a solo career. Before TTF, Kiani was a session musician ...

Take That Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singer ...

and

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreogr ...

, London Metro : Review of "Consecrated Love" (and interview of choreographers) - 7 August 1999, p. 57.The cast, Flymonkey Productions : "The Wiz" (2000 & 2001) at

Hackney Empire Hackney Empire is a theatre on Mare Street, in Hackney in the London Borough of Hackney. Originally designed by Frank Matcham it was built in 1901 as a music hall, and expanded in 2001. Described by ''The Guardian'' as "the most beautiful theat ...

Review of this show can be found
in the ''

London Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free of charge in London, England. It is print ...

'', 11 May 2001. he was also known within the London voguing scene during the 1990s and is among the original London vogue dancers of that era.''The Face'', July Issue, 1991, p. 10. ''Bizarre'', April 1997, p. 15.

Early life and education

Tamsier was born in North West

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

(

Kensal Rise Kensal Green, also known as Kensal Rise, is an area in north-west London, and along with Kensal Town, it forms part of the northern section of North Kensington. It lies north of the canal in the London Borough of Brent, and also to the south, ...

) into a

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

ese- Gambian family. His late father was a Gambian

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

and

solicitor A solicitor is a lawyer who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and enabled to p ...

,William Dixon Colley, "Champion of free speech (Tribute)", ''The Nation'' (Gambia), 7 June 1993. and his mother a business woman. Tamsier left the UK when he was two years old after his father decided to move his family back to the Gambia and establish his chambers there. He returned to the UK couple of years later to pursue his education. In an interview with ''West Africa'' magazine, Tamsier said: Tamsier studied

classical ballet Classical ballet is any of the traditional, formal styles of ballet that exclusively employ classical ballet technique. It is known for its aesthetics and rigorous technique (such as en pointe, pointe work, turnout (ballet), turnout of the legs, ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

, African,

contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from about 1945 to the present. In the social sciences, contemporary history is also continuous with, and related t ...

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

, tap and

labanotation Labanotation (grammatically correct form "Labannotation" or "Laban notation" is uncommon) is a system for analyzing and recording human movement (Notation, notation system), invented by Austro-Hungarian choreographer and dancer Rudolf von Laban ...

. He attended

Middlesex University Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated to MDX) is a public research university based in Hendon, northwest London, England. The university also has campuses in Dubai and Mauritius. The name of the university is ...

, the

University of Wolverhampton The University of Wolverhampton is a public university in Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, England, located on four campuses across the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, Shropshire and Staffordshire. Originally founded in 1827 as the Wolverham ...

and the

London Studio Centre London Studio Centre, in North Finchley, London, is a British dance and theatre school providing courses in classical ballet, contemporary dance, jazz dance, and musical theatre. It is accredited by the CDMT, Council for Dance, Drama and Musical ...

and holds an

Accounting Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the process of recording and processing information about economic entity, economic entities, such as businesses and corporations. Accounting measures the results of an organization's economic activit ...

and

Finance Finance refers to monetary resources and to the study and Academic discipline, discipline of money, currency, assets and Liability (financial accounting), liabilities. As a subject of study, is a field of Business administration, Business Admin ...

Honours Degree Honours degree has various meanings in the context of different degrees and education systems. Most commonly it refers to a variant of the undergraduate bachelor's degree containing a larger volume of material or a higher standard of study, ...

, a PGCE and a Performing Arts Dance Degree. As of 2006, he was a non-active qualified teacher and an Associate of the

Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) is an international dance teaching and examination board based in London, England. The registered educational charity, which was established on 25 July 1904 as the ''Imperial Society of Dance T ...

and the

International Dance Teachers Association The International Dance Teachers Association (IDTA) is a dance teaching and examination board based in Brighton, England. Operating internationally, the IDTA currently has over 7,000 members in 55 countries. The IDTA is recognised by the nationa ...

. Tamsier also took additional classes at London's

Pineapple Dance Studios Pineapple Dance Studios is a dance studio complex, performing arts school, and associated dancewear, clothing, and eyewear brand, based in London, England. Origin Pineapple Studios was founded by former model Debbie Moore, who had started dan ...

and Danceworks in various dance styles such as breaking; commercial jazz with the late Nicky Bentley (one of the earlier dance teachers at Pineapple Dance Studios) and with choreographer Shanie, whom he describes as influencing his commercial funk and jazz style. He also studied

popping Popping is a street dance adapted out of the earlier Boogaloo (funk dance), boogaloo cultural movement in Oakland, California. As boogaloo spread, it would be referred to as "robottin'" in Richmond, California; strutting movements in San Francis ...

and street locking with Jimmy Williams - one of the early UK street lockers, and attended workshops with internationally renowned guest choreographers like Bryant Baldwin (USA) and Mauro Mosconi (Italy).

Career

Dance and choreography

Tamsier worked as a stage backing dancer for

Kym Mazelle Kym Mazelle (born Kymberly Grigsby; August 10, 1960) is an American singer. She is regarded as a pioneer of house music in the United Kingdom and Europe. Her music combines R&B, soul, funk, house music, dance, and pop. She is credited as " Th ...

Jocelyn Brown Jocelyn Lorette Brown (born November 25, 1950), sometimes credited as Jocelyn Shaw, is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and dance music, dance singer. She has a Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart entry solely in her name. Brown sang ...

Martha Wash Martha Elaine Wash (born December 28, 1953) is an American singer and songwriter. Known for her distinctive and powerful voice, Wash first achieved fame as half of the The Weather Girls, Two Tons O' Fun, along with Izora Armstead, as they sang b ...

MN8 MN8 are a British R&B- pop group. They consisted of KG (lead vocalist), Kule T (lead vocalist, songwriter), G-Man (lead vocalist), and Dee Tails (rapper, stylist and choreographer). Career MN8's 1995 debut hit single, " I've Got a Little So ...

Honeyz The Honeyz are a British Contemporary R&B, R&B girl group currently composed of members Célena Cherry, Heavenli Abdi and Cherry's sister, Candace Cherry, as a touring member. The group had five UK top 10 hits between 1998 and 2000, with "Final ...

, Impact Dance Productions (UK,

Sadler's Wells Sadler's Wells Theatre is a London performing arts venue, located in Rosebery Avenue, Islington. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site. Sadler's Wells grew out of a late 17th-century pleasure garden and was opened as a theatre buil ...

) and also appeared on

's 1995 World Tour at

Wembley Arena Wembley Arena () (originally the Empire Pool, currently known as OVO Energy, OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, Greater London, England. The 12,500-seat facility is Greater Lond ...

(London leg of the tour, small portion). Some of his musical theatre work include

Starlight Express '' Starlight Express'' is a 1984 musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. It tells the story of a young but obsolete steam engine, Rusty, who races in a championship against modern locomotives of diesel and el ...

, Fame,

Rent Rent may refer to: Economics *Renting, an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property *Economic rent, any payment in excess of the cost of production *Rent-seeking, attempting to increase one's share of e ...

Hot Mikado : ''Hot Mikado'' is a musical comedy, based on Gilbert and Sullivan's 1885 comic opera ''The Mikado'', adapted by David H. Bell (book and lyrics) and Rob Bowman (orchestrations and arrangements). After researching the 1939 Broadway musical, ''T ...

and

The Wiz ''The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz"'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls (and others) and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' ...

. Choreographic work include ''"Consecrated Love"'' for the Yozo Fass Dance Theatre Company, which he co-choreographed and performed in; ''"Dance Fusion"'' for the Choreographer's Ball (London); and ''"Our Town Story"'' for

East London East London is the part of London, England, east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames as it begins to widen. East London developed as London Docklands, London's docklands and the primary industrial centre. The expansion of ...

(

London Borough of Hackney The London Borough of Hackney ( ) is a London boroughs, London borough in Inner London, England. The historical and administrative heart of Hackney is Mare Street, which lies north-east of Charing Cross. The borough is named after Hackney, Lond ...

) with Ujamaa Arts, supported by

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...

for the year 2000

Millennium Dome Show The Millennium Dome Show was a multimedia theatrical performance created to commemorate the year 2000 in the Millennium Dome in London, England. Peter Gabriel composed the music, which was later made available as his eleventh studio album '' OV ...

. Along with his experience in mainstream dance genres such as

and ballet, Tamsier was also involved in the underground London

scene during the late 1980s or early 1990s. By the early to late 1990s, Tamsier was one of the most recognisable New way voguers within the London underground scene and worked extensively in several London clubs as a podium dancer / voguer including

Heaven Nightclub Heaven is a gay superclub in Charing Cross, London, England. It has played a central role and had a major influence in the development of London's LGBT scene for over 40 years and is home to long-running gay night G-A-Y. The club is known fo ...

, Equinox, The Tube, Lowdown,

Trade Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cr ...

, Vox and Busby's. It was whilst working as a dancer in the early 1990s at Heaven that Tamsier met the legendary Jean Michel who will become one of his closest friends and vogue mentor. The two regularly frequented the London club scene giving performances and engaging in vogue battles with other London voguers. In 1997 whilst working for Heaven Nightclub's host and performer — Miss Kimberley as a backing voguer, Tamsier was interviewed and photographed by the alternative culture magazine Bizarre. Tamsier's "interesting look and voguing talent" made him a prime candidate for an interview. Tamsier credited his old friend and mentor Jean Michel for teaching him the elements of vogue and for mentoring him, as well as watching legendary

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

voguers like

Willi Ninja William Roscoe Leake (April 12, 1961 – September 2, 2006), better known as Willi Ninja, was an American dancer and choreographer known for his appearance in the documentary film '' Paris Is Burning''. Ninja specialized in voguing and was a ...

and Hector Xtravaganza. As a regular user of Pineapple Dance Studios in

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...

and Danceworks in

Bond Street Bond Street in the West End of London links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. Since the 18th century the street has housed many prestigious and upmarket fashion retailers. The southern section is Old Bond Street and the l ...

, Tamsier encouraged his mentor to run vogue classes in these studios. When Jean Michel was finally given a spot at Danceworks, Tamsier helped spread the word among his dancer friends "some of whom have had no exposure to real voguing other than what they've seen on

Madonna's Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

1990 Vogue video." Tamsier regularly attended the class and supported his mentor.

Teaching

Tamsier was a dance teacher and

lecturer Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...

, teaching jazz, ballet and contemporary. He taught at Carol Straker Dance School in London, Wood Green High School College of Sports, the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

and the

London Guildhall University London Guildhall University was a university in the United Kingdom from 1992 to 2002, established when the City of London Polytechnic was awarded university status. On 1 August 2002, it merged with the University of North London to form Londo ...

.The Casting Collective artist biography : "Tamsier Joof" (2000—2003) Tamsier ran workshops in various inner city schools in London and the Midlands. He was a dance coach/consultant for

Sandwell Sandwell is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county in England. The borough is named after the Sandwell Priory, and spans a densely populated part of the West Midlands conurbation. Sandwell Metropolitan Borough ...

and Dudley Borough Council in partnership with the region's development agency (

Advantage West Midlands Advantage West Midlands was established in 1999 as one of nine regional development agencies (RDAs) in England. RDAs were created by the UK Government to drive sustainable economic development and social and physical regeneration through a busi ...

) and ran dance workshops throughout the West Midlands and also taught the

Qualifications and Curriculum Authority The Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA), previously known as the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), was a charity, and an executive non-departmental public body (NDPB) of the Department for Education. In Engl ...

GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a range of subjects taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, having been introduced in September 1986 and its first exams taken in 1988. State schools ...

and

A-level The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...

dance

syllabi A syllabus (; : syllabuses or syllabi) or specification is a document that communicates information about an academic course or class and defines expectations and responsibilities. It is generally an overview or summary of the curriculum. A sylla ...

at various schools in the region including the A-level

syllabus.''Advantage West Midlands Newsletter'', May 2004, p. 17. He also taught advance/professional jazz at various dance studios including Adage Dance Studios in

Harborne Harborne is an affluent area sited south-west of Birmingham, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is a Birmingham City Council ward (politics), ward in the Government of Birmingham, England#Districts, formal district and ...

(

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

Retirement and comeback

Tamsier retired from professional dancing (on-and-off) in 2001 to pursue other business ventures, taking only non-lengthy dance contracts or teaching. In March 2015, Tamsier came out of retirement to appear on

FKA twigs Tahliah Debrett Barnett (born 16 January 1988), known professionally as FKA Twigs (stylized as FKA twigs), is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and dancer. She was a backup dancer for numerous musicians, and made her musica ...

music video "Glass & Patron" as a vogue dancer starring alongside

Javier Ninja Javier Ninja (birth name Javier Madrid,Dance Magazine - interview of "Javier Ninja" by Margaret Fuhre - retrieved 30 March 2015 born 10 March 1984 in QueensJavier Ninja's workshop and bio in Arkstar (December 3, 2010 retrieved March 31, 2015 (Ne ...

, David Magnifique and Benjamin Milan."FKA twigs - Glass & Patron (Official Music Video YTMAs)"
YouTube. Tamsier credited as a dancer. The video was officially released on FKA twigs

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

channel on Monday, 23 March 2015.

Acting and modelling

Tamsier did some

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad range of sk ...

and

modelling A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin , . Models can be divided into ...

during his career working with

artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogu ...

s like Michel Wallace (the

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

choreographer and artistic director of the Yozo Fass Dance Theatre Company) and Paa C Quaye (the

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

ian actor—director and artistic director of Ujamaa Arts). Tamsier appeared as background actor in the 2002 drama '' Dirty Pretty Things''; in the 2003 comedy ''

Love Actually ''Love Actually'' is a 2003 Christmas film, Christmas romantic comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis. The film features an ensemble cast, composed predominantly of British actors, many of whom had worked with Curtis in previous pro ...

''.; and in the 2024 American musical fantasy film ''

Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * ''Wicked'' (Maguire novel), a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', a 1997 novel series collaboration between Australian children's authors Paul Jennings and Morris ...

'' (and '' Wicked: For Good'' (2025) as Ozian dancer)) as an Emerald City dancer and salon owner, reprising his role from the 2000 and 2001 Flymonkey Productions of ''

'' (also starring Sharon D. Clarke, 2000). He was also a

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

, television and theatre costume model for Academy Costumes, and one of his major modelling jobs was modelling the costumes of the '' Tomb Raider 2'' film directed by

Jan de Bont Jan de Bont (; born 22 October 1943) is a Dutch former cinematographer, film director, and film producer. He is best known for directing the action films ''Speed (1994 film), Speed'' (1994) and ''Twister (1996 film), Twister'' (1996). As a direct ...

and starring

Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie ( ; born Angelina Jolie Voight, , June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Angelina Jolie, numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards ...

Entrepreneur and radio broadcasting

Tamsier was a former

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

of Bluewings Employment Security & Training Limited and Blue Light Training Services Limited both of which he resigned from"About Us"
, Seereer Resource Centre's website, an
"The Team"
, retrieved 29 March 2015. and now runs his own businesses. He is an

investor An investor is a person who allocates financial capital with the expectation of a future Return on capital, return (profit) or to gain an advantage (interest). Through this allocated capital the investor usually purchases some species of pr ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

n businesses seeking start-up or expansion capital through MYC4. Tamsier was also the founder of the Seereer Resource Centre (SRC), an organisation he conceived in 2008. The SRC preserves and promotes Seereer culture. Tamsier is a member of that ethnic group. He is co-author of ''Learn to speak Saafi-Saafi: The complete language course'' and author of the ''Learn to speak the Seereer languages'' syllabus. Tamsier is also the founder of Seereer Radio which broadcast 24/7 for the Serer and Senegambian community. Tamsier is a presenter on Seereer Radio and is the main anchor on the ''Cosaan Seereer Show'', a weekly cultural program which he co-hosts with Demba Sene, Mamadou Fall, Moussoukoro Sidibé and new host Laity Sene. He is also a regular on the ''Open Mic Show'' presented by Mamadou Fall, and the founder of Seereer Heritage record label, a segment of Seereer Heritage Press, itself the imprint and publishing house of the SRC. Tamsier is a strong opponent of President

Yahya Jammeh Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh (born 25 May 1965) is a Gambian politician and former soldier, who served as President of the Gambia from 1996 to 2017. He was the Chairman of the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC) from 1994 ...

's regime and regularly speaks out against the brutality of the Jammeh regime on Seereer Radio, and occasionally on Gainako Radio. Tamsier regularly visits the Gambia to report on the country's political situation for Seereer Radio. He covered the trial of lawyer

Ousainou Darboe A.N.M Ousainou Darboe (born 8 August 1948) is a Gambian politician and leader of the main opposition United Democratic Party (The Gambia), United Democratic Party (UDP). He previously served as Vice-President of the Gambia and Minister of Women's ...

and his Executive Committee, 9 May 2016 political prisoners - imprisoned for demanding electrical reform and the

Gambian presidential election, 2016 Presidential elections were held in The Gambia on 1 December 2016. In a surprise result, opposition candidate Adama Barrow defeated long-term incumbent Yahya Jammeh. The election marked the first change of presidency in The Gambia since a mili ...

.Seereer Radio : Open Mike Specials Gambian Elections 2016 - broadcast on 29 and 30 November 2016; 1st, 2, 5 and 7 December 2016. Presented by Mamadou Fall and Tamsier Joo

/ref> He is one of few (if not the only) Gambian radio presenters living in the diaspora that regularly criticises the Jammeh regime yet continues to enter the country. Whilst he was still in the Gambia covering the 2016 presidential election and the release of Ousainou Darboe from jail, he continued to criticise the brutality of the Jammeh regime as he has done on previous visits. When asked by his colleagues whether he fears for his life being so candid about his criticism of the Jammeh regime, he replied "I may not be born here but my grandparents were born here and have fought and died for this country. If I do not have more stake in this country than Jammeh, then Jammeh certainly does not have more stake in this country than me." On the same topic, Tamsier had said on the ''Open Mike'' and ''Cosaan Seereer'' shows that "a real Serer people, Serer does not fear death." He is also known for carrying out investigative journalism against the Jammeh regime and his enablers and outing them on the radio. He is one of few radio critics of Jammeh to have interviewed President-Elect

Adama Barrow Adama Barrow (, born 15 February 1965) is a The Gambia, Gambian politician and real estate developer who has served as President of The Gambia since 2017. Born in Mankamang Kunda, a village in Jimara district, he attended Crab Island Secondary ...

face-to-face on Gambian soil during the Jammeh regime (done at least twice). The first being Barrow's election campaign in

Bakau Bakau is a town on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Gambia, Gambia, west of Gambia's capital city of Banjul. It is known for its botanical gardens, its crocodile pool ''Bakau Kachikally'' and for the beaches at Cape Point (Gambia), Cap ...

on 29 November 2016, and after his victory in the 2016 presidential election - face-to-face interview at the Kairaba Hotel on 7 December 2016. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Tamsier organised a fund raising initiative to help Seereer artists in Senegal and Gambia - financially impacted by

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

due to their inability to work. In collaboration with his organisations, the Seereer Resource Centre (SRC) and Seereer Radio, they raised over 1.5 million Senegalese CFA and food products. That was the first time any Senegambian (Senegalese and Gambian) media house or organisation has raised money for the Seereer artistic community. The event was covered by other Senegalese media houses - with Seereer Radio's current Director of Programmes, Laity Sene speaking to the Senegalese media in a press conference - in order to advance the plight of Seereer artists. As part of his philanthropic initiative, Tamsier's organisations (the Seereer Resource Centre and Seereer Radio) were also the official sponsors of the current King of Sine Niokhobaye Fatou Diène Diouf's forth anniversary in February 2022 since his enthronement in 2019; and the current King of Saloum Thierno Coumba Daga Ndao's celebration of the annual ''Gamo Kahone'' festival in 2022. Tamsier is a relative of both Kings. Tamsier is also the creator, concept author, co-producer, and executive producer of Seereer Heritage label's ambitious single ''Ceereer ne ino mbogun'' (and its accompanying album ''Ino mbogu Ceereer ne'') consisting of twenty-four of Senegal's most notable Seereer artists, which received great reviews and play times on Senegalese and Gambian radio stations since its release on 15 December 2022.

Personal life and controversy

Although Tamsier was brought up in a Muslim household, he rejected Islam in his early life and became a devout follower of A ƭat Roog (the Seereer religious faith, religion of his ancestors).''Open Mike : Prejudice against Seereer religion (A ƭat Roog) and other Traditional African religions in Senegambia and other parts of Africa'' (Wednesday, 8 February 2017

/ref> In his ''Open Mike'' broadcast titled: ''Prejudice against Seereer religion (A ƭat Roog) and other Traditional African religions in Senegambia and other parts of Africa'' (Wednesday, 8 February 2017), Tamsier criticised some quarters of the Senegambia Confederation, Senegambian and

n Muslim and Christian communities by referring to them as "hypocrites who like to demonise the traditional religions of their forefathers—yet when their prayers are not answered by their foreign Gods, they revert to the religions of their ancestors through Traditional African religious seers/

diviners Divination () is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic ritual or practice. Using various methods throughout history, diviners ascertain their interpretations of how a should proceed by reading signs, ...

—seeking answers or solutions to their problems." Tamsier went on to state that: "One cannot love Senegambian history and

culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

African history Archaic humans emerged out of Africa between 0.5 and 1.8 million years ago. This was followed by the emergence of modern humans (''Homo sapiens'') in East Africa around 300,000–250,000 years ago. In the 4th millennium BC written history ...

and

for that matter yet despise Traditional African religion, because African history and culture are deeply rooted in the Traditional African religions." Tamsier is also known for criticising the powerful

Muslim brotherhoods of Senegal This is a list of Sufi orders (Tariqas) in Senegal and the Gambia. They are active Muslim organizations that can also be found in many other parts of Africa and the Islamic world. Their members are mainly Wolofs, Fulas and Tocouleurs. List The ...

and their families for their "greed", "selfishness", and meddling in Senegalese politics; the Mauritanian government for failing to eradicate slavery in

Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...

and the

African Union The African Union (AU) is a continental union of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the African Union. The b ...

and

ECOWAS The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS; also known as CEDEAO in French and Portuguese) is a regional political and economic union of twelve countries of West Africa. Collectively, the present and former members comprise an area ...

for their failure to intervene and eradicate this "ghastly practice" in Mauritania.''Open Mike : Slavery in Mauritania (Monday, 6th Feb 2017)''
/ref> He is also quite vocal in criticising the Senegalese Muslim Marabout schools' (''daraa'') "abuse of children" (''

talibés A talibé (also spelled ''talibe'', plural ''talibés''; , 'student'; pl. ) is a boy, usually from Senegal, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Chad, Mali or Mauritania, who studies the Quran at a daara (West African equivalent of madrasa). This ...

'') sent to their Quranic schools for learning, through the use of "physical abuse", "starvation", "cruely", and being sent to beg on the streets of Senegal.''Open Mike : Presented by Moussoukoro Sidibé (Tuesday, 4th October 2016)'

/ref> Tamsier is a strong Pan-Africanism, Pan-Africanist and supporter of

Zionism Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...

, and known for his anti-Arab and anti-Islamic sentiments.

Filmography

External links

*Lamin Faye
"Interview with Tamsier Joof"
Seereer Resource Centre, 28 March 2015, retrieved 6 April 2015 *
Tamsier
at the Internet Music Video Database (IMVDb) *The Seereer Resource Centre and Seereer Radio joint podcast
Listen to shows presented by Joof

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aviance, Tamsier Joof Living people 1973 births Serer dancers English choreographers Serer choreographers Black British male actors Serer writers Serer male actors House of Aviance British male models English people of Senegalese descent English people of Gambian descent People from Kensal Green People from Paddington English male dancers 20th-century British dancers 20th-century English male actors British critics of Islam British critics of Christianity Gambian pan-Africanists Senegalese pan-Africanists Joof family Actors from the London Borough of Brent African Zionists

Early life and education

Career

Dance and choreography

Teaching

Retirement and comeback

Acting and modelling

Entrepreneur and radio broadcasting

Personal life and controversy

Filmography

See also

External links

References