Sister, Sister

For those unfamiliar with this 90s classic get into it. Not on a Soka Tribe playlist, but the song has been stuck in my head for the last 20 hours. Yesterday, DC  Commission on the Arts and Humanities informed me I would receive a Sister Cities Individual Artist Grant. My project is one of eighteen that has been selected to represent DC and foster cultural diplomacy between DC and its sister cities around the globe. I applied to go to Accra, Ghana because I am curious about the African retentions present in the Caribbean Carnival culture and dance movements.

Over the next few months, I’ll be researching the scholarly works done on the African retentions. Then in Ghana, I will collaborate with dancers of a variety of styles of African Dance to co-create a piece that will highlight these retentions at the Return to The Reason Festival. What is the Return to the Reason Festival? It will be the major event bringing together artists from Accra and Washington DC, the Sister cities to see “how different[/similar] we have come to be.” Don’t worry we’ll be documenting much of the journey to share from its inception to execution.

I’d like to thank everyone in Soka Tribe for continually encouraging me on this artistic journey. Especially Jazelle Hunt, Rashida Petersen of 1847 Philanthropy, Cassandra Nuamah of Africa with Us, Erica Franklin of Global Giver, and Safi Hariott who graciously lent their talents and insights in the process. To whom much is given, much is required…let me go’on and get to it!

If you’ve got an interest in learning more about the project drop me a line! sokanista@sokatribe.com

Return to the Reason Festival will be sponsored in part by:

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