African Drum and Dance Ensemble to Perform at Scranton
The Sankofa African Drum and Dance Ensemble will perform at The University of Scranton on Monday, April 20, at 7 p.m. in the DeNaples Center.
The University of Scranton will host a performance by Maxwell Donkor (Kofi) and the Sankofa African Drum and Dance Ensemble on Monday, April 20, at 7 p.m. in room 405 of the DeNaples Center. The performance is free of charge and open to the public.
According to Donkor, a guest artist-in-residence in the Education Department at the University, Sankofa means ‘going back to the roots’ in the Twi language of Ghana, West Africa, and is symbolic of promoting personal and community awareness of the positive role of the arts in the villages in West Africa. He formed the ensemble in 1997 through community drum circle programs offered in Allentown and Stroudsburg.
Sankofa is made of four drummers and three dancers led by Kofi (an Asante prince from Ghana) and Yacin (a Wollof princess from Senegal). The group teaches authentic drumming and dance techniques in context of their history and cultural origins and has successfully completed more than 800 residencies in schools and in the community.
The performance and residency is a collaborative program of the Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the Lackawanna County Historical Society and The University of Scranton.
In addition to the performance, the ensemble will visit the Frances Willard Elementary School in Scranton on April 21.
For additional information, contact Catherine Richmond-Cullen, Ed.D., faculty specialist at the University, at catherine.cullen@scranton.edu or 570-941-7421.
