Sankofa: African Cultural Night
- Fri, Sep 12th 2008, 6:00pm
- Located at : 864 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo NY
Just Buffalo and the International Institute of Buffalo present an evening of African culture, past, present and future in celebration of African literary icon Chinua Achebe's visit to Buffalo at part of the Babel series. Bring out the whole family for an evening of African food and music, featuring: African Drumming and Dance by the Jama Jama Ensemble; traditional African Storytelling by Sharon Holley; and a contemporary African-American spoken word performance from poet James Cooper. The Sankofa bird, and African symbol, flies forward looking back with an egg in its beak.
Sharon Holley is a storyteller and librarian from Buffalo, originally hailing from High Springs, Florida. She is a founding member of Spin-a-Story Tellers of Western New York, a member of the National Storytelling Association, a former board member of the National Association of Black Storytellers, and performs with Karima Amin as “We All Storytellers.” Holley incorporates songs, chants, and rap in her performances, and her work “African-American History Rap” has appeared in Talk That Talk: An Anthology of African-American Storytelling and in The African American Book of Values; her “Stagecoach Mary” was published in Many Voices: True Tales from America’s Past.
James J. Cooper has a BFA from SUNY-Fredonia, works as a computer teacher for the Buffalo Board of Education, serves as an art instructor for the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the Buffalo Arts Studio in addition to creating and exhibiting his artwork locally. Cooper has been writing and reciting poetry, hosting open mic events, and performing with the group Poetic Voices for the last several years. He enjoys hearing others experience reading for an audience for the first time.
The Jama Jama community youth ensemble is dedicated to the artistic development of school-age youth through African drumming and dance. The words Jama Jame mean “peace on peace,” and students learn about authentic, traditional African aesthetics, the beauty of culture, and what place culture plays in their community. The ensemble has worked in Western New York for the past six years under the artistic direction of Marlowe Wright, along with creative instructors M-bye Rama Djaun, Anesha Long, and Raymond Sylla. The group has performed with as few as two drummers and two dancers, to as large a group as 35 dancers and 42 drummers; one of the goals of Jama Jama is to be able to have 100 drummers and as many dancers as would like to participate.
September 12, 6PM; $5 donation
International Institute of Buffalo
864 Delaware Avenue
