EXPLORING WEST AFRICAN DANCE AND DRUMMING

 

In partnership with Brown Middle School.

The program is supported  by the  Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. Georgia Council for the Arts received support from its partner agency the National Endownment for the Arts. GCA FY21 AE with Brown Middle School.

Exploring West African Dance and Drumming is  a program that provided classroom instruction,  exhibitions, and dance performance for the students. African dance and music promote artistic excellence, innovation, and creativity, enabling Manga to achieve our goals of presenting unique, culturally enriching programs that would otherwise be inaccessible to the general public. Many thanks to the Georgia Council for the Arts.

 

 

 

 

 

The curtains have closed on the program. From January 21 to February 5, Manga interacted with the students teaching the dance Madiani originated from Mali West African drum. Manga closed the doors on the program with a performance and Q/A.

 

VirtuaL African Harvest Celebration and Dance Experience program

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Funded by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners  under the COVID-19 Virtual Arts Initiative, the African harvest celebration and dance experience program took place from October 1 to October 29, 2020. Tailored to seniors and open to the public, the African harvest celebration and dance experience program brought to the community dance workshops, a live trip to the African market,  and a live cooking class of a Nigerian dish: the Efro Riro.

 

Following in its mission to preserve, to educate, and to promote African indigenous cultures, Manga provided a profound cultural background to the dances and to the cooking demonstration. The attendees learned the harvest dance and the cultural meaning of all steps. Participants who responded to the survey about the class thanked Manga for offering such an excellent cultural experience and dance instruction and for providing such therapeutic activities during the pandemic.Their enthusiastic reactions, along with their participation and interaction with the instructors, motivate Manga to continue this program.

 

A big thumbs up to our participant's support of Manga's service to the community. Many thanks to director, Ramatu Sabbatt and to dance teacher Praise Ekeng for leading this program. Manga would also like to thank the Fulton County Board of Commissioners and acknowledge the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta and the Georgia Council for the Arts for their continued support.