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Griots in Concert- New multi-media presentation and workshop!
This performance and workshop will deal with West Africa which has a rich culture of using textiles and patterns as part of the story of the people. The music, song, dance and regalia of the people are connected and have significance. This holistic concept of preserving culture, teaching values and communicating transcended the middle passage and reappears in the quilts of enslaved Africans. Messages were not only masked in song, but also in the quilts. When we look at the costumes of New Orleans Mardi Gras, we see cultural pride, a cry for social justice and resistance through satirical humor.
This program can be tailored to museum and gallery exhibitions as well as arts in education projects and performance venues.
Griots in Concert- Master Drummer Sanga of the Valley and Internationally recognized storyteller, Linda H Humes weaves stories, music and song from West Africa, the Caribbean and America. Performance will feature West African regalia, a johnkanoos hat and an African American quilt.
Workshop – In the workshop, Ghanaian born visual artist Nana AmaBentsi-Enchill will introduce the audience to the Adinkra symbols of Ghana, West Africa and facilitate a hands-on workshop incorporating the symbols. Participants will make Johnkankus hats, and Adinkra wall hangings and simple quilts.
STORY CLOTH will kick off the exhibit, Discovering World Textiles in Clothing and Small Images at The World Awareness Children's Museum in Glen FallsNew York. This program is funded in part by the New York Folklore Society.
Linda H. Humes
Linda Hazel Humes is a storyteller and folklorist who performs and conducts workshops nationally and internationally. She started her storytelling career in 1989, through the mentorship of Dr. Emeritus Mary Umolo Sanders at MedgarEversCollege. She is the founder of the arts and education non-profit Yaffa Cultural Arts Inc which received a 2007 Citation for Excellence in Arts and Education from the New York City Council and she is an Adjunct Lecturer in the Africana Studies Department at John Jay College in NYC.
Sanga of The Valley
Sanga was born in the valley of Port Of Spain, the capital of Trinidad/Tobago. Growing up listening to the steel drums and polyrhythm of Calypso and Soca, Sanga decided at an early age to dedicate himself to the art of drumming. Sanga has studied with master drummers from Africa, the Caribbean, Brazil and the United States and has developed into a master percussionist in his own right, playing over twenty five different traditional percussive instruments as well as the trap drum.
Nana AmaBentsi-Enchill is a New York based artist and founder of aFREEcan. apparel, a brand that celebrates humanity’s collective roots. A self-identified U.S. born Ghanaian, she has committed her creative and professional work to illuminating a contemporary context for traditional art and indigenous cultures. She has traveled throughout the US and beyond, facilitating youth arts courses and youth development programs. She is currently exploring traditional Ghanaian textile art and its influence in modern-day apparel.