Media Contact:
Alia Sutton-Bey
215-817-4676
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“Philly African Dance and Drum Festival”
Featuring
Amazones: Women Master Drummers of Guinea”
The sound of drums not guns
May 15th  – 20th

Amazones: Women Master Drummers of Guinea”    
May 19, 2007; 8 PM                        
Martin Luther King High School
6100 Stenton Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19138

Philadelphia, PA -- African Diaspora Arts Collective Inc., Philadelphia Department of Recreation, StarSpirit International, Inc., Philadelphia Comprehensive Center for Father’s and the African American Museum of Philadelphia are proud to present Philly African Dance and Drum Festival featuring “Amazones” The Women Master Drummers of Guinea, West Africa. An evening of powerful and spiritually uplifting drumming, song and dance is expected on May 19th.  The Amazones will be in residency at the African American Museum of Philadelphia from May 15 – 18, 2007 for school performances. There will be workshops and classes available to the general public from May 18 – 20, 2007 at the Lonnie Young Recreation Center.

The artists hail from Guinea, a country in West Africa’s Sub-Saharan region. They are practitioners of their nation’s traditional musical arts. Amazones includes beautiful and strong women who love to share their passion for their instruments. The women emanate a graceful proficiency that clearly differs from the masculine drumming style. They play instruments that have traditionally been denied them due to antiquated cultural mores. In doing so they ‘demystify’ the djembe as an instrument historically reserved for male players. Through their powerful, energetic and grandiose spectacle, Amazones Women Master Drummers of Guinea hopes to bridge cultural gaps through a spirit of celebration and music.

This concert arrives at a time of crisis for the African-American community in Philadelphia.  The lure of drugs and the easy access to firearms have accomplished what the whips and chains of slavery could not do; destroy the hopes of a people.  Sadly, it is not genocide by racists, but suicide by community.   Philadelphia’s black community must look to the past and reconnect with the wisdom of the Diaspora.  Conflicts should be resolved by communication not violence.  The only explosions heard should be the sound of hand on drum, not hammer on bullet.

Join us on this festive occasion that celebrates the timeless spirit of African culture.

For additional information contact Alia Bey at (215) 685-2236 or visit our website at www.phillyadac.org

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