Keep Alphonse Drumming

Alphonse Daudet Touna is a Cameroonian musician, composer, teacher and instrument maker who has lived in Bristol for five years. Each year Alphonse teaches hundreds of people to make traditional African instruments and thousands of children to sing, dance and play his African percussion. He takes the rhythm of his drums and the beautiful haunting sound of the balafon to elderly, disabled and disadvantaged groups all over the Bristol area. Over 2000 children came to his recent workshops at the Empire & Commonwealth Museum to gain an insight into the Slave Trade and its Abolition. His Afro-Jazz band, Hélélé, delights audiences at festivals all over the country as well as the Old Duke in Bristol.
The Campaign
The Minister of State for Nationality Citizenship and Immigration does not want to renew the work permit of the man who does far more for cultural and inter-racial harmony than perhaps 99% of the population at large. If you believe that Alphonse should be given indefinite leave to stay in this country so that he can continue his much-needed work in the community, please sign the petition.
Join the Protest
The College Green protest on 24th April went well and was featured on ITV news. Please come and support Alphonse at the Home Office protest - Date TBC .
Write to the Home Office
Please read the blog above. It contains a letter which you can cut and paste into a word doc, edit as you wish, print out and send to the minister for Immigration, Liam Byrne, asking him to use his discretionary power to grant Alphonse a work permit.