Mamady Keita

Fule and Mamady

Last Saturday, Fulé and Andrew took Mamady's workshop for the very first time in Toronto. Mamady did not know it but Fulé as a djembe drummer and director of Jiwani has learned almost everything he knows from Mamady Keita. Mamady Keita is the superstar of Malinke Djembe drumming! Yes, I know of several other names of equally skilled drummers such as Famoudou Konate, and we have enjoyed the drumming of Adama Drame on CD, and taken Mbemba Bangoura's workshop in drumming and dance. But none has done as much for Djembe drumming, or even hand drumming as Mamady with his skill, his vision, his deligence and his business sense. Mamady Keita is much bigger than his frame, having reached more people through his teaching CDs, his book, A life for the Djembe, which he co-authored and the dramatic documentary film of his life and his djembe, Djembefola. This man is a class act and Fulé and I periodically enjoy his performance DVD with his amazing group, Sewa Kan.

It isn't as though there are no master drummers in Ghana or other African countries. The Ghanaian drum scene has its own particular flavours and complexity of rhythm, from the Northern drum ensemble, favouring the dono and the brekete types, the Akan ensemble, the Ga ensemble and the Ewe ensemble with their myriad types of drums. Infact the depth of tone of these other kinds of drumming cultures and the fact that the lead drum is usually the bass drum, gives Ghanaian drumming a compelling awe and power unlike other drum cultures. Within the Malinke drum culture, solos are created with a tightly tuned lead djembe which delivers its high pitched soliloquys over top of rhythm-djembes and the bass complement of djun-djuns.

Whether one prefers one culture of drumming to another is entirely a matter of preference and culture. But it is undeniable that Mamady and those like him have taken the djembe culture to another level of prominence. While they have preserved the folkloric, they have gone far to improve showmanship and to create other drum songs, and new solos for older rhythms. While this prominence may be given to the versatility and portability of the djembe itself as an instrument and particularly as a solo drum instrument, we cannot deny the national vision that supported the Ballets Guineen and Ballets Djoliba and which projected them to international prominence with superior techniques of performance drumming and choreographic excellence. Today, because of Mamady Keita, all the world has heard of the Djembefola and even as far as Indonesia they make tone challenged djembes out of mango wood.

PARTY PRAISE!

I wonder if any other cultures make dance music with religious themes of worship, thanksgiving and praise to God. Ghanaians make the most upbeat songs of praise in contemporary highlife and hiplife styles which lend themselves to dances at parties , gatherings, festivals and all kinds of get-togethers. We unabashedly join our voices to the compelling refrain of soulful voices extolling the virtues of God alongside the guitars, saxophones and high strung synthesizers while the drums pound a beat irresistible to dancing feet. We dance, we we stomp, we twist and turn merging our joy of community and worship into one, with laughter spilling unreservedly from mouth to ear, filling the spaces between conversations with ease, sweeping us all into healthy release. We look into each others eyes as we speak, shake hands with firmness and hug with warmth, seeking the exchange of good will.

All this at Joel's first birthday party, where the sauces and stews of the women's cooking fill us with desire for pepper and ginger and onions and salt, and the fermented corn rich dumplings of West Africa. The back door is open and the children careen in and out, playing hide and seek or catch. Sometimes they pause to breakdance to the admiration of uncles and aunties, clapping their hands and shouting: Go, go, go, Joshua! Our laughter mingles. We are one with the music, the praise, the joy, the food and with one another!

Shout out to Joel, Janet, Eddie, Joshua, Araba and Buadi!

RUNNING AND READING-Kidsfest

NUMBER 271 crosses the finsh line, HURRAY!

I am awakened with sleep hunger at 8 o'clock. I am still paralysed by some delayed action of sleep when I plead with Fule to call me from his cell in ten minutes, to make sure that I actually get out of bed. Faithfully, he calls. Maureen picks me up at 8:32. Actually we leave at about 8:45pm to York University in Toronto- east. There kids from at least 8 schools and several districts in Toronto are competing with themselves and against each other to finish a 5 kilometre race. This is a race they have been training for the whole school year in their Reading and Running Clubs, birthed by Canadian marathon star Silvia Ruegger and offered through Kids Fest Canada. This unique program is Silvia's response to the needs of inner city children in the elementary grades and supports them as an after hours school program, with goals which include success at reading, goal setting, team building, mentoring and fitness. Of course they are also watching out for the kids who show real promise at running to support them in the development of their talents.


I first met Silvia at Mosaic, a Christian prayer ministry run by ex-CFL star Brian Warren who is a pastor and the founder of KidsFest Canada. Then I heard Silvia at the Eden Mills Community Centre where she spoke about her Reading and Running School Clubs for boys and girls in a dynamic and insightful presentation, which included her own path as a marathon runner and a video clip showing her amazing eighth place finish in the very first women's Olympic marathon ever. Silvia is intense, passionate, a pace setter with a heart for the children. Her goal, to keep hope and possibilty alive in the eyes of the children. Her Canadian record, set at the Ottawa Marathon in 1984 at 2:30:37 is still unbroken, more than 20 years after. It was the very first marathon she run in competition.

This Saturday, the very air was static with excitement and anticipation. One could almost see sparks of electricity here and there as the kids were urged on to finish the race, with Brian's voice booming over the loud speakers while dozens of volunteers run here and there fixing everything up. There were loads of trophies, photo ops., freezies, bouncy castle-kind structures and a large white reading tent. In the tent I told West African stories to the kids, (this is the Afroculture connection) working hard to hold their attention against the smell of barbecued hamburgers, the anticipation of the mighty bounce in three or four castles set up not too far away, and a delightful tee-shirt decorating activity. The individual winners went home with great gifts, the Sony thing called Wii and several boom boxes. The event was supported by City of Toronto, Scholastic, Running Free Sport and Brooks among several others. Willow P.S. of Guelph won the team first place. Go Willow, Go Guelph. (I couldn't resist that.)

What a success!

Corporate Afroculture Workshop: Wellington County Child Care Services

Yesterday Wellington County Child Care Services celebrated the contributions of child home care service providers in the county to a sit down dinner in the beautiful banquet hall of the Italian Canadian Club of Guelph, 135 Ferguson Street.

AFROCULTURE arrived at 7:00pm to set up forty-five small djembes. We also dressed up the organizers, six of them including Laurie and Stacey in colorful African wax print and cowrie bead accessories. Then the fun began with Fule's trademark beginner workshop loaded with jokes and wise cracks to relax the participants and to aid them in their quest for rhythm. Kathleen ably supplied both the anchoring beat, the mother rhythm and the deep end of the rhythm on the djuns. The ladies had a blast and held their rhythm together amidst much laughter. I travelled the room on my backside, taking photos of the women playing drums, focussing, laughing. I told two African stories in appreciation of good service to the community, to the theme: one heart. Then I introduced the dance. We had them all sweating and thirsting and moving and at the end, by their own comments, they had thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The dance drew ready laughter and broke barriers between the people. They loved the rhythm, the dance and the fact that they were involved and not just watching. I met my neighbour, Jennifer and Sally's friend Barbara. It's always nice to reconnect with people one knows. So if you're having a corporate event, try us at www.afroculture.com.

Adwoa

Four Seasons

In my part of Africa, we only have two seasons, wet and dry. Our average temperature is 28 degrees, this is a conservative estimate! Inspite of this, I am thinking of calling the Afroculture recital Four Seasons, after all here in Canada we enjoy the changing of the seasons, even if winter is much too long.

I'm not sure if this theme will survive the week. If it does, I'll need four ideas to work through our show which will be performed by the children, teens and adults we teach in our dance and drumming classes. Our singing is tentative and I wish there was more I could do about that. It is probably an overstatement to say that we are overwhelmed by compliments for Spirit Alive. It is nice when one's work touches hearts. We continue to nurse our toes and dance. Come dance with us. Come to our Recital on June 23rd.

African Performance Arts for youth

Today Stephanie, Marissa and Kadi performed at the GCDF Youth moves. All three are steady dancers: Stephanie pays attention to the execution of the choreography and is responsible for the others in this regard. Marissa is very natural as a dancer and full of improvisations and Kadi is more introspective and more subtle as a dancer. In their diverse ways they give a lot to each other in performance. After our second performance today, it was Kadi the more reluctant dancer who had an idea for the next choreography. She surprised me in this regard as sometimes I have wondered whether she likes the stage.

I really think that people of African descent have a penchant for the performing arts. Now I know that's a generalization but it is a good one and if more people are discovering that this is not so, it must be the westernization and urbanization which is overunning our world. This is not all bad because the western block-buster approach to everything: big stages, big films, celeb bands and superstars have woken up the world to know that it is possible even if hard to make a great living out of the arts. How important for those who are born with this gift of healing and community, or healing for the community. How great for the community.

As a child I began to learn the traditional dances of Africa at age eleven. I had ofcourse watched, heard and observed all this from early childhood but I must confess that my first memories of dance, were doing the twist to "My boy lolipop," when I imitated my older siblings. Then I remember trying the 'bugaloo' and the 'pop corn' all of which I learned from teen aged older siblings. By the time I was twelve my sister and I were winning dance competitions held at birthday parties because we had older siblings to learn all the cool moves from. Then at the end of elementary school my school introduced my graduating class to African dance. I fell at once and completely in love with it.

If one learned to dance then one wanted to be watched. One courted the eyes of the audience. This ofcourse gave birth to that love for performance, acknowledgement and praise. No wonder in the courts of the traditional rulers and at all community functions, people from very young to very old want to strut their stuff to the praise of the community. In West Africa, performance results in much applause and the spraying of money: coins and notes placed on the forehead of the dancer, drummer, poet or singer. In my parents day, English colonial mentality prohibited all the school goers who were pursuing education from joining in the community arts of dance, song, and drumming. They missed out on their rich cultural heritage. Until today my Mom envies those who can articulate the graceul dance of the Akans, (the adowa) at funerals and festivals. She can only pretend to dance it.

In Africa the arts are functional: binding , motivating and healing to the community. The arts are also participatory with a place for everyone. Voice, expression as well as release is available to everyone in very accessible spaces.
My argument: Why not use the traditonal arts and its more contemporary and emerging forms to engage youth, to give voice, expression, healing and belonging to a whole new generation.

Dedicated to Africa

photo by Randy Sutherland
Our second time at GCDF, but this time I have little to say as I didn't get to watch the other acts at either the Site Specific series of the Youth Moves. So I rushed around all morning between venues for tech rehearsals and the show, as both Jiwani and my kiddie trio: Steph, Kadi and Marissa were performing.

I was pleased with Spirit Alive and I have plans to make it even more dynamic. Kwame Badoe's music was emotive, passionate and stirring. I was glad for the opportunity to criss cross media, beginning with prerecorded voice (poetry) over instrumental music, rooted in recorded djembe and djun sound then layering over top with live djembe ensemble and the "rechauffer" with robust live drumming. It made for a dynamic soundscape, an interesting development of the concept of the lone prayer rising up and being buffered and supported until the the Spirit is reborn and sustained by the entire community.

Spirit Alive was born as an idea in my mind and as my co-artists lent their support to it, the music was composed and the dance developed in the womb of my regular dance class and then alllowed to grow in the dance-drum troupe Jiwani wherein it was choreographed , practised and critiqued. Spirit Alive is dedicated to Africa.

The Artist Entrepreneur

photo by Mike Chaves

To my mind to succeed as an artist, one must also be an entrepreneur. It's miserable if one ends up poor and unwell with the talent that Van Gogh possessed. That makes for good tragedy post-humously but not a happy life. Yet, it seems to me as though the dominant patterns in the brain which serves one out into society as an artist, inhibits the calculating business/sales/ administartive/ auditing mind that one needs to be successful. Therefore artists wait to be discovered and managed, which is very good when that happens and one finds really good managers, agents, etc. But many artists have enough skill and talent to be successful not necessarily to become celebrities but to make as good a living as any other profession. In a place like Canada it's great that there are grants and available in the absence of royal patronage. It would be nice to have patronage too:) Here's what I'm thinking: Many artists have figured things out in their community. They may know how to produce themselves and put on a show from concept to advertising and marketing. But they can only do this in their own neck of the woods where they have had to find the entrepreunerial edge. They may have an extensive list of people who have watched them grow who may come to see their work. Why don't such artists who may be wearing down their own audience with this overexposed act (within their own community), connect with others from different parts of the province and host, produce and market them in their home community in exchange for similar favours from the visiting artist. In essence an intercity network of co artists. Recently I watched the East York Choir in performance and they were wonderful in their communtiy. But after all this practice they perform once and that's it unless someone could host them elsewhere and run the business of it where they cannot. In lieu of agents and managers, how could this happen? In Africa we say "hand come, hand go". In Canada we say: "you scratch my back and I scratch yours". Imagine that there were associations formed in this manner, the mid level artist could potentially get really busy and the emerging artsist would know the value of working to establish themselves within their own community. Artist Entrepreneurs need to think this way to connect to a bigger world. We know that in our day Van Gogh would have fared better, wouldn't he?

On this note I hereby create my intercity network of Artist Entrepreneurs. You may register with me so long as you are a performing artist, don't live in Guelph and have succesfully put on shows seating at least 250 people :)

They put the SOUL in Spring

Hurray for Jenny Crober and the East York Choir for a powerful and soul stirring afternoon of song. Choral music is a force of nature, I find, and we were treated to Canadian composers, Tchaikovsky and a Bulgarian folk song. My personal favorites were Wood River, The Scout and Polegnala e Todora. The switch to Spirituals was powerful with "Ain't got time to die and De blin' man stood on de road and cried.
At the intermission I bid for perennials to plant in my upstart garden and then I kept my fingers crossed. Matlakala/Emily was an up beat joyous song to begin the African section. Indeed I loved all the songs but since I'm choosing favorites, I must say I love the rythm and tempo of Si njay njay njay, I love the gentleness and calm of Hamba Lulu. Vamudara makes me want to dance the "adowa" and O Sifuni Mungu and Siyahamba must be everybody's favorite. Ah, I might as well add on Hombe for its vocal complexity and Thula baba which i first heard in the show Umoja. There I loved them all.

"Onipa da wo ho so," written by my godfather, Dr. Ephraim Amu never ceases to call out my goosebumps one by one. He would have been so proud and so would my Dad who visited Canada only once in his lifetime. The little percussion section grew larger at Larry Graves suggestion. Suddenly not only did he want to drum but he wanted to sing, and involve the audience in the signature double clap of Kpanlogo. He even got me to dance the kpanlogo. How could I refuse? He and Fule had a blast, Larry on the kpanlogo and Fule on the djembe. My story The Magic Tree of the Sahel was well received and the afternoon came to an end.

The choir and Jenny received a standing ovation which I consider well deserved. At the end, we met so many people and received an abundance of compliments. I remember particularly, Brainerd Blyden-Taylor who directs the great Nathaniel Dett Chorale , Constantin and Mima who hail from Bulgaria. Mima is a member of the Trio Orpheus and Mariatou comes from Sierra Leone. I thought it would be a wonderful event and so it was. The Nathaniel Dett Chorale will be singing in Guelph in the fall. I wonder: what about the East York Choir? Maybe Guelph should have a taste of them too.

Spring Soul- Toronto, Eastminster United Church

Tonight we practised with the East York Choir which will present Spring Soul tomorrow , Sunday May 27th at 3pm. They sound heavenly and when the bass and tenors sing Dr. Amu's Onipa, I get goosebumps all over me. I'll tell you about my favorite songs tomorrow when I have the program before me and can spell everything just right. Fule and Larry are playing percussion, mainly the Djembe and Kpanlogo drums, and the rhythms rock with the wonderful tunes and the amazing harmonies of the East York Choir. Jenny Crober directs them in a spirited manner and over the last few weeks of rehearsal we have seen them stretch and reach for perfection. Tomorrow I will perform a solo dance and a story at the concert. Toronto is waking up to Africa!

Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival

Jiwani is preparing for the GCDF Site Specific Series. To be honest that particular series is the best dance event of the entire festival because it takes place in the picturesque Exhibition park under a blue sky, with the tall trees and green grass as as our back drop and the audience as part of our act. This year four dances will be performed at different sections of the park and hopefully the sun will prevail.

We will be premiering a dance, Spirit Alive choreographed for the event and performed to original recorded music by Kwame Badoe and the live drumming of the Jiwani drummers. Spirit Alive is a prayer which symbolizes and celebrates robust life for Africa after the current tragedy of the HIV epidemic which seems to speak death and decimation for the continent of Africa. Yet we shall live, and robustly so! I have fashioned the dance after the Lamban dance of Guinea, the dance of the griots. Something about the jeliw speaks directley to me because deep down I resonate to the call of the griots . I am called to tell the stories of Africa.

On June 2nd and 3rd, watch out for Jiwani on the green grass of Exhibition park.

Women of Distinction 2007

On May 10th I dressed in red and joined the other 2007 Women of Distinction nominees at the River Run Centre. The air was filled with expectation, excitement and some nervous tension as the gems of Guelph community arrived and settled in at the Co-operators Hall. We greeted each other, complimented each other and did a mini tour of the stage and back stage, committing to memory the order of the events as they were expected to unfold. Then Bob Housser took the group photos, hundreds of them, making jokes while we blinked and blinked, our smiles pressed firmly on our faces.

Afterward we had dinner, exquisite offerings of vegetables in upended forks, growing in trays of grass. There was mango chutney, (correct me if I don't know what I'm talking about) sweet peppers, cauliflower and diverse vegetable dipping sauces. I sat with Elizabeth Cunningham, the very gracious Kathleen Schmalz and Judith Rosenberg. I sipped on sparkling Sprite, too excited to think of drinking wine.

At last we were called up to the parade of nominees. My category was first and my name by virtue of supreme alphabetical order, first. I heard my name, loud and strong and the next thing I knew I was stepping (gracefully, I hope) on my new pointy high heeled shoes - and I never wear thin stiletto heels. I made it and stood smiling at the darkened auditorium after I had coillected my nominee's plaque. This event is more gracious than the Oscars in this regard. Then when we had all gathered to thunderous applause we walked off stage and found our seats.

Then our category was announced and video clips of our interviews screened for all to see. Magic 106.1 and CJOY 1460 were the sponsors of the category Arts and Culture...."and the recipient is.... Adwoa Badoe!" I was delighted, thankful and in full respect of my fellow nominees. I shook their hands, hugged those close to me and went up to collect my award. Two minutes later I had given thanks to all of Guelph, the YWCA, my supporters, friends, family and God, the giver of talent and favour. Then I had photograph taken with my sponsor. Back in the auditorium, my excitement brimming over, I found myself sitting next to my friend Michelle Mohr. YES! It felt nice to win. The rest of the ceremony passed as the recipients were named for each category. Afterwards over dessert and coffee, I celebrated with good friends. Fule was there with my kids Wynne, Matthew and Stephanie. Anne Dance came with Binty and Kadi. Dorothy Odartey Wellington was there with Stephen Hennighan, Stephanie Nutting, Atsu Amegashie and Lucy Mutharia. Somehow I missed seeing Lila Engberg. The other women in my category were definitely most deserving and very gracious. I applaud, Catrina von Radecki, Janet Johnson, Kathleen Schmalz, Jessica Steinhauser and Patricia Patrick who won a lifetime achievement award. Jessica and I were wearing similar shoes. I'm yet to send her a photograph of our feet!

Since May 10th I have received flowers from well wishers and as a post script, Liz Sandals, MPP has sent a certificate of congratulations! I just received the statements my nominators and supporters wrote on my behalf and I am blown away.

Still blown away,
Adwoa

To Ghana and Back

Since my last blog, I have been to GHANA where my daughter and I spent a wonderful two weeks meeting family and seeing the sights in Accra and Cape Coast. My best times were meeting my old school mates from SMS, UST and finding them all well and doing awesomely. Notably I enjoyed the company of Slim, Alex, Ray, Charles, Josie and Davina and then there was my ex-room mate Darius. I saw the next thing at Alliance Francaise with Pete. Her name is Dobet Gnahore and she moves like a cat. She is a singer-songwriter, multi instrumentalist and dancer with a mean band and a meaner show. Her CD is Na Afriki and I own one. Move over Angelique!

Ghana at 50, there wasn't much left over to see, but Panyin outdoored her baby and on AL's behalf Snof claimed God-mother status for us all. It was so good to see the AL group, Akos and Tibs, Zid and Arnold, Zipporah, Elliot and Naana; Tawiah, Kosei, Naa Abena and the old girls of Wey Gey Hey. There was Kate and Bea and Rosemond whom I hadn't seen for all of twenty years! And then there was Robert! Wow! In two weeks I had seen all these and others including old Achimotans and Aliki.

At La Palm the kids swam while Ako and I sat under an umbrella which did nothing to curb the heat of the sun. Pete came and then Miki and Tawiah and their kids. We ate Banku and Tilapia, plantains and jolof. The malt was not cool enough but it was good to sit and relax.


Bojo beach was a new place to me and the sand was white and clean. The waves washed against our feet, singing praises to the sky. The sky was so wide, so vast, so full of freedom and I sang hymns and waded as far as my knees. I soaked my capris as far as my thighs. We played old school rhythm and rhyme hand-games while Stephanie and Essie pretended to swim. K. quarrelled with London boy and my nephew, Papa Fule brought his girlf friend to say hi. All too soon the afternoon was over with frantic calls from home, warning us of a tropical storm. We rode the canoe back to the main land and kesewa and I went adventuring at Kokrobite. We didn't find Nii Tettey Tetteh's Kusun, but we found the compound of Nii Tettey Addy. We didn't meet the great drummer though. Lost opportunity!

Cape Coast was quite the trip and I learned many life lessons in a day. We did the Cape Coast Castle tour and saw the museum exhibits. Then at Hans Botel we ate, while crocodiles swam lazily by and lizards skittered on concrete floors. I saw a hornbill, in bright primary plumage and songbirds flitting from tree to tree.

Ghana was the same and Ghana had changed. The Akosombo dam has declined in might and load shedding means hydro power outages on a regulated schedule. Everyone speaks of the declining rains but hardly anyone remembers that nearer the source of the Volta River, the Burkinabes have dammed the same river leaving only a trickle arriving in Ghana. Inspite of this inconvenience, life continues and people live as fully as they can. Generators come alive when the hydro-power goes off, giving expensive and enivironmentally unsavoury power to those who can afford it. All others contend with early nights in hot steamy Accra, pulsing with the hopes of millions of people in three piece designer suits and ties, riding four by fours or wearing second-hand oburoni w'awu tee shirts, with faded letters telling of another world- Molson Canadian... what animal is that?

Celebration!

Tonight my Afroculture dance classes will celebrate the end of the winter session and the beginning of spring. What a lovely day at 18 degrees. Off with the coats, bring on the big smiles, robust laughter and the sound of cheerful greetings along the corridors and stair well of the GYMC. Two classes will meet to celebrate rhythm, body and movement while the awesome drummers of Jiwani sweat and play. I wish you were coming. Since you're not, I will tell you all about it after tonight.

Adwoa

Seeds in the Ground

A full day of workshops at June Avenue P.S yesterday was very satisfactory. Fule and Kathleen made up the rest of the team. It took a bit of planning between the principal, Maureen and I but it was well delivered and I do believe the students were inspired to a new love of storytelling which should also impact their creative writing. There was dance and hand-drumming too and a spirit of celebration to welcome the Spring. Spring is here at last. I particularly enjoyed the teachers' workshop and felt the strength of community so tangibly. I think I should offer more workshops to teachers as a group. Perhaps I should follow up on how the teachers use storytelling in the classroom after this workshop.

Today, I went out without a leather jacket and tonight will only drop as low as 1 degree. Yippee!Jiwani practiced our two dances for the United for Africa show on March 29th. Jiwani is looking sizzling hot and I couldn't be more pleased. We'll pick up stronger on the singing in April. The season has changed and if you haven't got seeds in the ground, then hurry up! Those who have ears, let them hear!

Dreams and Manuscripts

Yes, I've been working on two manuscripts. They are not your usual manuscripts, these I think I may self-publish. I have this desire for a small publishing outfit and then I think....too much to do in too little time. What shall I do?
I've been writing on my favorite themes of storytelling and African History, looking to develop material to support my presentations. The year is moving on swiftly and there is much to do.
My mind wanders, yet I return to my writing and little by little the job gets done. Today I received an email to join in a community conversation on the theme Greater Guelph. What do you know? I was already thinking of something to engage Guelph, something as fascinating as The Guelph Festival of African Arts. I was thinking of this as we travelled between Guelph and places beyond Stratford and Clinton, Ontario. Fule was driving and we were listening to Habib Koite's soothing kora music undergirded subtly by a bass guitar rhythm. I dreamed.
I am still working on two manuscripts, waiting to hear about three other manuscripts out there with publishers. I am working on a proposal and planning performances and a trip to Ghana. I am avoiding my email because my mind has turned introspective. It was a good day. Much was done in dreams wherein I visualized great endings in technicolour.

Like Chocolate

How do we relate to media? How do I relate to media? In September 2006, the beautiful collection of photographs and ruminations of writers, "Reading Writers Reading", by Danielle Scahub brought my likeness to print. Then "My Wedding Dress," edited by Susan Whelehan and Anne Carter brought my memoir and likeness once more on to the printed page. Then there I was for brief seconds on CP24, at the launch of "My Wedding Dress , in resplendent bubu, perhaps something I would have dressed in if I was now going to be married. Then I had this invitation to be interviewed by Shelagh Rogers on CBC, 'Sounds Like Canada', a request which failed twice due to traffic, weather and travel. Recently I was once again in the Guelph Mercury, this time on the front page at the revealing of the nominations for the Woman of Distinction Award YMCA/YWCA Guelph. My thought is: Occassional press is to be enjoyed like chocolate. So I have enjoyed it and say thanks to God for uplifting my work in the public view.

Spirit Alive

Today I began to choreograph Spirit Alive for the Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival working with a Lamban theme and other influences. Kwame and I have already had one meeting on the original music he is writing for me and I composed some chants as well today. I worked with Mary who dances with Jiwani. It' s great to work with Mary.
Jenny Crober and her family dropped in from Elora and I worked with her on Dr. E. Amu's composition of 1928, "Onipa da wo ho so," literally "Man rest on your self", translated "Man discipline yourself" or perhaps, "Be still". I helped her with translation and pronunciation. Twi which the Akans speak is a tonal language.
Dr Ephraim Amu was my godfather and a unique man if there ever was one. He was a man of simplicity and yet not simple; a man of humility, discipline and strength of character and altogether purposeful, who lived his life with utter conviction. His music continues to inspire Ghanaians to higher living. Today brought back memories of his voice, his conversations and his uprightness. I remembered how much he loved fried yam and pepper dip. I also remembered his unofficial national anthem, "Yen ara Asase ni," played at the close of TV broadcasting each day in Ghana!

Finding a New Direction

I am looking for a new direction for my blog, hoping I will find something which will keep me motivated to write and you waiting to read what I have to offer next. This week has been exciting. Tuesday 6th March was the 50th anniversary of Ghana's Independence. All eyes on Ghana ,with reporters from old colonial master-country, writing about the excitement and exuberance of Ghanaians while citizens continue to drink dirty water. As if we were not exploited and underdeveloped when we were colonoized for 50 years plus. Yes, we know our problems but there is a day to celebrate and hope!
Thursday was the International Day for Women and in Guelph the YWCA hosted its luncheon to announce nominees for the Woman of Distinction Awards in Guelph. What an afternoon of women,(in black mainly), speeches, photographers, good food and optimism. I am nominated for the category arts and culture alongside dance artists Janet Johnson and Catrina von Radecki and other accomplished women. Well wishes to women in general and congratulations to all the Women of Distinction. The week was busy with workshops and performances and now I look forward to resting.

The Royal on Gordon

After church we rushed to The Royal on Gordon, a plush retirement home on Gordon Street south of Guelph. We spent the afternoon recreating African storytelling, with the seniors who live there. It was a fun afternoon with engaging seniors who sang story chants with me as I told about Ananse the spider, Ijapa the tortoise and the amazing Talking Tree of the Sahel. One gentleman was born in Angola and later spent years in Kano Nigeria. One lady greeted me in Hausa which she learned in Jos. Never underestimate people, so many are so well travelled and knowledgeable. Black History month is straddling March which is a good thing because we wish for more sunshine to hurry the spring in.