Tamsier Joof

Early life and education Tamsier was born in North West London (Kensal Rise) into a Senegalese-Gambian family. and his mother a business woman. Tamsier also took additional classes at London's Pineapple Dance Studios 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. Choreographic work include "Consecrated Love" for the Yozo Fass Dance Theatre Company, which he co-choreographed and performed in;

Along with his experience in mainstream dance genres such as jazz and ballet, Tamsier was also involved in the underground London vogue scene during the late 1980s or early 1990s. Tamsier ran workshops in various inner city schools in London and the Midlands. He was a dance coach/consultant for Sandwell and Dudley Borough Council in partnership with the region's development agency (Advantage West Midlands) and ran dance workshops throughout the West Midlands and also taught the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority's GCSE and A-level dance syllabi at various schools in the region including the A-level labanotation syllabus. He also taught advance/professional jazz at various dance studios including Adage Dance Studios in Harborne (Birmingham). The video was officially released on FKA twigs YouTube channel on Monday, 23 March 2015. both of which he resigned from and now runs his own businesses. Tamsier was also the founder of the Seereer Resource Centre (SRC), an organisation he conceived in 2008. 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'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 and his Executive Committee, 9 May 2016 political prisoners - imprisoned for demanding electrical reform and the Gambian presidential election, 2016. 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 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 face-to-face on Gambian soil during the Jammeh regime (done at least twice). The first being Barrow's election campaign in Bakau 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. 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). 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 Senegambian and African 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—seeking answers or solutions to their problems." He is also quite vocal in criticising the Senegalese Muslim Marabout schools' (daraa) "abuse of children" (talibés ) 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. Tamsier is a strong Pan-Africanist and supporter of Zionism, The ethnic and religious persecution of Serers by Islamic jihadists goes back one thousand years, since the 11th century. Tamsier is a member of the Serer ethnoreligious group, and a devout follower of A ƭat Roog (Serer spirituality), whose people have faced religious persecution for one thousand years.

Filmography + Filmography & Music Video Year Film Character/role 2002 Dirty Pretty Things Smart Man (Bus)/airport passenger 2003 Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life Costume Booking 2003 Love Actually Black Audience Ethnic 2015 FKA Twigs' Glass & Patron Dancer (music video) 2024 Wicked Ozian - Emerald City Dancer & Salon Owner 2025 Wicked: For Good Ozian Dancer Upcoming (in production) Eloise (Netflix film, directed by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Ryan Reynolds) Dancer