The African and Caribbean Students Association coordinated Friday night’s kick-off cultural event to herald Black History Month. The McNeil Room swelled with energy delivered in the form of dancing, drumming, and rhythmic stepping. Performances by the Fakoli Dance and Drum group, RPI’s own Nigerian Students Association, and the National Society of Black Engineers Step Team generated a vigorous and successful start to a month dedicated to embracing diversity.
The Fakoli Dance and Drum group performed original music on an assortment of different instruments, ranging from hand-made bongos, dundun, and djembe drums to electric piano and bass. The result was a robust and rhythmic sound that was not only enjoyable to listen to, but also interesting to watch as it was created.
In addition to performing, Toby Stover from Fakoli held a dance lesson for enthusiastic volunteers from the audience. Stover led the group in performing two traditional West African celebration dances called Coucou and Sintay. While some of the volunteers were more rhythmically talented than the others, the crowd bubbled with laughter at their persistent attempts to keep up with Stover.
“[In Africa,] there is no such thing as someone coming to watch dance, unless they are too old to move,” said Stover. Dancing is celebrated as a way of life. He elaborated about the healing powers of dance, for both mind and body, and its ability to bring people together in many ways. “I love to teach dance,” Stover continued. Part of teaching dance involves finding ways to give instructions so that different people can understand and learn. This communication “creates understanding which is so sorely needed [in our world] today.”
Meaning “the ancestor” in the Mandinko language, Fakoli was founded in 1997 by master drummer Fode Sissoko. The mission of Fakoli is to “create understanding between all peoples through the language of the drum. We bring the traditions of our ancestors to life through the music and dance,” said Stover.
The members of Fakoli who performed on Friday night in addition to Stover were Amadou Diallo and Godfrey Damrath. The songs performed are the original music of Diallo, in a style from Senegal. Diallo and Damrath wore a type of dress made of patches of fabric. “The style originated from the Bifal, a group in West Africa who make clothing from whatever scraps of material available and patch their old clothing rather than throwing them away,” explained Stover.
Members of the Nigerian Students Association were invited to play with the members of Fakoli. Standout performances came from NSA President Ikenna Okoli ’07, who played a type of drum called the conga, and Chi Chi Nwaizu ’07, who performed an incredible solo performance of traditional African dance. Okoli said it was an honor to play with the talented musicians of Fakoli.
Okoli, who learned to play the drums at the age of five by watching other people play, says that playing the drums “is like breathing, natural.” One of his favorite reasons to play the drums is simply to entertain a crowd.
Formed just last year, the NSA is in its early stages of trying to establish itself as an officially recognized Union-sponsored club. The goal of NSA is “to promote the very rich Nigerian culture through various social activities at Rensselaer. We want to join in the ongoing demonstration of diversification in the Rensselaer community, by teaching them about Nigerian Culture and Africa as whole,” says Okoli.
The NSBE Step Team also performed on Friday night. A true crowd-pleaser, the group constantly gives new meaning to the phenomenon of rhythmic synchronization. Friday night was no exception. The team wore flags as belts, representing the diversity that exists in the Caribbean today. “We wanted to show the diversity the African culture brought to the Caribbean,” said Radha Gomez ’08, co-captain of the Step Team. The team’s performance was highly pleasing to the crowd, who resonated with the energy created by the slapping stomping, and occasional hollering of the group.
February is Black History Month and is being observed by a number of events on campus and throughout the United States. It is recognized as a time in which people, not just in the United States but in the entire world, can reflect on Africa and the rich cultures it sustains. “Black History Month is a month to remember those African-Americans that made changes in the world, and a month to teach those African-Americans who will make changes in the world,” said Okoli. “Mostly, it’s a month [during which] I realize how lucky I am to be where I am, remember those that paved the way for me, and also remember those in Africa that I have to pave the way for.”
The ACSA did a great job organizing and facilitating the kick-off show for Black History Month. All of the groups who performed over the course of the evening expressed gratitude toward the ACSA for the opportunity to be a part of the event. Those in attendance have a renewed and vigorous sense of pride for the diversity that exists at Rensselaer.
