This two-day symposium will engage the community and scholars on the performance and preservation of African music and dance expressions in Africa and in the diaspora as well as to see the connection between the “traditions” and the contemporary “remembered” elements in diaspora forms. Specifically, traditional African music and dance will be discussed in relation to its use to assert identity among Americans, its role in “Southern” culture development, and contemporary popular music and dance forms in the South such as hip-hop, blues, and folk, This Symposium will include twp panel discussions, breakout sessions with panelists to discuss their traditions in relation to those that symposium attendees are a part of, and hand on workshops of drumming, dance, and emceeing/storytelling.
Saturday, February 24 will feature panel discussions and breakout sessions dealing with African music on the continent and in the diaspora as manifested in community drum and dance classes, drum circles, and the roles the art plays in rites of passage, mental health, and African retention in African American music. Dr. Nzinga Metzger will provide the keynote address. All panels are free and open to the public! There will also be a free head wrapping presentation.