Uwishunu.com

Tweet

 

The University of Pennsylvania is doing its part to bring attention to Africa as they host the 20th annual Celebration of African Cultures. This event hopes to display the history, the artistry, the cultural relevance and the traditional values that make Africa such an intriguing place.

Starting on Saturday, February 21, this day doesn’t quit, with a different event nearly every half hour between 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This smorgasbord of ethnic options is enough to please any would-be African explorer.

As always, the festival will have a strong focus on musical and dance traditions with numerous drum and dance teams participating. The Harambee Choral Ensemble, performing alongside the Harambee Drum Ensemble, consists of 25 ensemble members ages eight to 14-years-old, singing alongside their “walimu”"” the kiswahili word for teachers. Ed Smith conducts the choir through a repertoire of music including traditional African, African American, contemporary theater, and hip hop songs.

You can also join Penn Museum docent Mawusi Renee Simmons as she presents “African Drums, Dance, and Ritual,” a tour of the African gallery’s musical instruments.

Rashida Watson, owner of The Silk Tent, a mail-order distributor of international gifts, offers a show-and-tell talk on “Weaves, Dyes, Embroidery and More: Examples of Cloth and Clothing From Africa.” Ms. Watson displays a variety of cloth pieces elaborately decorated which include vests and crowns from West Africa, bark cloth from the Mbuti Tribe in the Republic of the Congo, and ceremonial weavings, tie dye and beadwork incorporated into special items of clothing. Cloth, wearable pieces and jewelry are on sale after the talk.

For a full list of events, visit www.museum.upenn.edu.

University of Pennsylvania Museum
3260 South Street, Philadelphia, PA
(215) 898-4000
www.museum.upenn.edu