Our story
Seereer Heritage Ltd trading as Seereer Heritage™ was founded in 2016 to assist disenfranchised Seereer artists–by producing, promoting, and facilitating the distribution of their works, and by extension, enrich and preserve Seereer cultural heritage. Like many African ethnic groups, music plays an important role in the preservation of Seereer culture, history, and traditions. Many of the old Seereer classical repertoires have been lost due to modernisation or Wolofization. To assist the Seereer artistic community, preserve what is left of the old classics, encourage artistic expression and development, and encourage a new Seereer renaissance that moves with the times, but without sacrificing the old, the label was created to assist the Seereer Resource Centre (SRC) with its overall vision and objectives. Seereer Heritage thus, is a direct result of the various evolution stages of the Seereer Resource Centre (SRC) founded in July 2008, in London (UK).
In 2008, Tamsier Joof founded the Seereer Resource Centre (SRC) after several years of scouring the internet for self-study Seereer language courses but without success. The SRC was set up to preserve and promote the Seereer and Cangin languages, and act as a resource to those wishing to learn the languages of the Seereer people, namely Seereer-Siin (or Seex, pronounced Seh), and the Cangin languages: Saafi-Saafi, Ndut, Sili-Sili, Laalaa, and Noon. By 2010, the scope of the SRC was extended to include the preservation of Seereer spirituality/religious doctrines, history, culture, medicine, and genealogy. Following the publication of the SRC's website in July 2013 (the first and only online resource to-date (as of 2016) dedicated to the preservation of Seereer languages, history, culture, spirituality/religion, medicine, and genealogy)), Tamsier brought in some notable Seereer linguists and authors to assist in the manuscript of the self-study Seereer-Siin language course. This course will form part of the SRC's Learn a Seereer Language Series–which serves as a resource to those wishing to learn Seereer and the Cangin languages. Due to personal commitments, some of the new team members had to postpone their involvement in the project, and the Learn a Seereer Language Series™ suffered a huge setback. During this time, Tamsier was toying with the idea of setting up a Seereer publishing house distinct from the SRC, that will publish titles relating to Seereer Heritage™. Ultimately, he decided that rather than set up a separate entity, the SRC will preserve, promote, and publish works relating to Seereer heritage.
After he founded Seereer Radio on 16 November 2015, the SRC's workload increased significantly as a result of Seereer Radio's Cosaan Seereer programme–a show dedicated to the preservation of Seereer spirituality (A ƭat Roog), history, and culture. To ease the SRC's workload, Tamsier brought in Demba Sene (a friend and old colleague from the SRC) to help him set up Seereer Heritage Press. On 16 April 2016, Seereer Heritage Press was officially launched, and it became the imprint and publishing house of the Seereer Resource Centre (SRC), publishing and distributing titles relating to Seereer history, culture, and spirituality. We had 12 books to publish from our Learn a Seereer Language Series, and have already published the first (Learn to speak Saafi-Saafi: The complete language course) on 7 July 2017. We also started talks with several Seereer authors to help them bring their works to market, and were pleased with the outcome, many of which are in the editing phase and awaiting publication.
For authors wishing to publish their works with Seereer Heritage Press, please email them with your proposal at info@seereer.com with the subject "Seereer Heritage Books". Please note that Seereer Heritage Press has strict publishing guidelines. As a publishing house, they are regularly inundated with proposals from various authors around the world. Unfortunately, most submissions do not make the cut, as their titles have nothing to do with Seereer or the Senegambia, their specialty.
For the SRC Collection, which is a curation of various Seereer artefacts; academic papers, articles, and books pertaining to Seereer spirituality, history, culture, and traditional medicine; and a Seereer genealogical database; please visit the SRC's website at www.seereer.org. Alternative, email them with your query with the subject "SRC Collection". You can also check out their online library which is a catalogue of Seereer related references and resources. To support the Seereer Resource Centre and the Temple of Initiated Women (SRCTIW) project, which was the brainchild of our late colleague Professor Issa Laye Thiaw, contact the SRC.
The Seereer Heritage Label (Seereer Heritage)
Seereer Heritage is a segment of Seereer Heritage Press. As part of the Seereer Resource Centre's efforts to preserve and promote Seereer culture, our label mainly work with Seereer artists to help them bring their products to market. Although our speciality is Seereer music, our label is also open to other Senegambian artists irrespective of language or ethnicity. Due to our connection with the Seereer Resource Centre (SRC) and Seereer Radio, we have built a huge network of Seereer artists, most of whom are well known and professional recording artists. Although we are a young organisation, we are proud to have on our books in excess of 100 highly talented Seereer artists (as of 2021)–many of whom highly notable. This rapid success is due to the reputation and commitment the SRC Group has built with the Seereer community over the years, especially those from the academic and artistic community. If you would like to release your single or album with us, please email us at info@seereerheritage.com. Alternatively, use our contact form.
United by a single vision, our respective teams are composed of highly polished professionals who do their job with great care, passion and dedication. Our first major project was Bori Guedj's album Boy Lofine released in 2021, which is available from all music purchasing/streaming platforms. Our second project Ceereer ne ino mbogun (the single) and its accompanying album Ino mbogu Seereer ne is our most costly and most ambitious project to-date, which sets Seereer Heritage apart from any Senegambian record label.
OUR VISION
To be the label of choice for every talented Seereer and Senegambian artist, and put Seereer music tradition on the world stage.
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to collaborate with Seereer artists in order to preserve Seereer Heritage™ by facilitating the production, distribution, and promotion of great Seereer music that enriches Seereer music and culture, and entertains, and inspires the listener, and connects our artists with their listenership.
WHAT WE DO
Working in partnership with our artists, we help them bring their music to market, and promote the artist and their works. We work with our artists from beginning to end–from composing the track/album, producing, distributing, and promotion. Our artists have a voice throughout the music production and distribution process, and our royalty payouts are unmatched. Although Seereer Heritage is a commercial enterprise, we are governed by the Seereer Resource Centre's (a not-for-profit organisation) code of ethics–which ensures that our artists are well remunerated for their work. We challenge you to find any label that pays more in royalty. What differentiates us from other labels is the SRC's code of ethnics we work under. We are a label with ethics, and recognise the fact that without the artist, there is no music, and thus, a negative effect on Seereer music and culture. To release your track or album under our label, please email us at info@seereerheritage.com or use our contact form and we will get back to you as soon as reasonably practicable. Do not send us spam. You will be blocked and your message won't be read.
Our history at a glance
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