Kipekee African Diaspora Drum & Dance Conference 2014
KoumanKe’le’ African Dance & Drum Ensemble is hosting its 5th Annual Kipekee African Diaspora Dance and Drum Festival. Kipekee (key-pay-kay) is a Swahili word that means “unique”. Started in October 2009, this particular cultural festival has the unique flare of not just concentrating on one or two countries of the continent, but offering a glimpse at dance, music and art forms with origins in the diaspora as a whole. The 2014 theme is “Let’s Come Together” and will feature family friendly activities, educational forums, cultural social events and a vendor marketplace. Activities will include adult drum and dance workshops from Mali, Guinea, Congo, Senegal, and Brazil, children’s drum and dance workshops from Guinea West Africa, Capoeira class with live instrumentation from Kalunga N’Golo, modern dance class, Culture/History lecture with former members of the National Ballets of various countries of the continent, Music instrumentation workshops will include Djembe, Dundun Dance and Traditional African songs. Additional events will include a meet the instructors reception/ dununba party, hypertension and heart health information sessions(with blood pressure screening) and free children’s dance fitness and drum classes.
Throughout the year KoumanKe’le’ ADDE presents cultural movement/fitness based events that bring awareness to selected health issues, in an effort to provide preventive education and fitness solutions. This year our focus is hypertension and heart health. We believe that this “Let’s Come Together” educational and cultural festival will attract and maintain an outreach for cultural exchanges in South Texas.