Diamano Coura West African Dance Company commemorates its 41st Anniversary
with public performances to honor the company’s long-standing commitment to community, cultural traditions, and education.
Diamano Coura West African Dance Company will premiere The Forbidden Bush, a music, dance and theater piece that re-imagines the vast challenge and human cost of deforestation. Since 1950, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), half of the world's forests have disappeared. The major causes of deforestation are population growth and the need for food, fuel, and shelter. In countries like Liberia, West Africa forests are vital to human existence and more than 80 percent of wood harvested from forest are used for wood fuel, the major energy source for cooking and heating. Yet, as areas of tropical forests are destroyed families are forced to relocate and change their way of life.
In the grand scheme of things, stopping deforestation in Liberia is a small victory. But the strategy behind it could be tremendously important to climate-change policy. The Forbidden Bush uses traditional Liberian music, dance and storytelling to highlight the challenges of and possible solutions to deforestation.
THE FORBIDDEN BUSH, a dance drama conceived in two acts and six scenes, combining live theater, music, dance and visual art. Set in the 20th century, the work depicts the story of Musu and Kona, a girl and a boy in their twenties who decided (despite warnings from their elders and parents) to travel into a part of the forest that is forbidden. In the forbidden forest, they are captured and tormented by the forest spirits for invading their secret domain and, according to folklore, a place where no human is allowed. Act one is filled with various kinds of masked dancers and animal imagery uncommonly seen; songs and dances from various endangered Liberian ethnic groups and visual art pieces as part of the set design. The second Act depicts Musa and Kona’s plea for forgiveness and reunification with their village elders and parents. This act presents traditional dances of the different peoples of the 13th century Mandingo Empire, incorporating Liberia, Senegal, Mali, Sierra Leone, the Ivory Coast, and Guinea. The story unveils an almost forgotten folk narrative, songs sung amongst the Vai, Kru, Kpelle and Loma people (endangered languages in Liberia and amongst Liberians living in America) and a lesson that tells how we, as a global community, can gain wisdom from the teachings and stories of elders.
The highly acclaimed company will perform Saturday, November 26th at 8:00PM and Sunday, November 27th at 3:00PM at the Laney College Theater, 900 Fallon Street in Oakland, CA.
Background. Diamano Coura West African Dance Company is dedicated to the preservation, education, and appreciation of traditional West African music, dance, theater, and culture. Since its inception in 1975 Diamano Coura, under the direction of Emmy Award winner Dr. Zak Diouf and Artistic Director Naomi Diouf, has implemented its mission through ongoing workshops, performances, youth programs, touring engagements, lecture demonstrations, community outreach, and creative partnership programs with renowned artists and performing companies. In addition, Diamano Coura strives to portray West African music and dance specifically as forms not simply for entertainment or exhibition, but rather, means by which communities educate, communicate, organize, and preserve their ancestral past. Diamano Coura in the Senegalese Wolof language means "those who bring the message."
Dr. Zakarya Diouf is the Founder and Director of Diamano Coura West African Dance Company. He received his Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from U.C. Berkeley and was director of the Mali Ensemble, a multinational company representing the unity of the West African countries of Mali, Senegal, and Guinea. He has done extensive research into African music and dance along with choreographing some of the best dance and dramatic pieces for renowned companies including the San Francisco Ballet. In 2005, along with the Honorable Ron V. Dellums, Dr. Diouf was honored with the Community Leadership Award by the San Francisco Foundation for his vision in unifying the African cultural arts community, for serving as a mentor and educator of young artists, and for his artistic contributions to the development of African-based performing arts. On June22, 2013 he received the Malonga Casquelourd Lifetime Achievement Award from the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival.
Naomi Gedo Diouf has assisted and choreographed works for numerous performing companies including the Dutch Theater Van Oosten in the Netherlands and Belgium, and U.C. Berkeley’s Drama Department. In 1998 and 1999, Mrs. Diouf collaborated with the San Francisco Ballet in the premiere of “Lambarena,” an African and classical ballet fusion piece for the Ballet for Utah, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Ballet of Florida, the Singapore and South African Ballet. A strong advocate of arts-in-education, Mrs. Diouf has worked with the Arts in Education programs in the San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Richmond, and Alameda School Districts to promote cultural literacy. She was named Distinguished Teacher by the Berkeley School Fund and has received numerous awards and recognition. She currently teaches West African dance and culture at Berkeley High School to over 200 students per semester.
Where are they now? Diamano Coura continues to embody an ever-evolving entourage of carefully trained male and female senior company dancers, actors, singers, acrobats, musicians, stilt walkers, and visual artists representing the African diaspora.
Tickets for performances on November 26th and 27th are $20 in advance for adults ages 19-64 ($25 at the door); $17 in advance for seniors 65+ and students ages 10-18 ($20 at the door). Purchase tickets at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2596376 .
# # #
The creation and production of Forbidden Bush are supported by the City of Oakland and City of Oakland Cultural Funding Program, Walter and Elise Haas Fund, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the Malonga Center for the Arts. The Forbidden Bush project is supported by a grant from the Creative Work Fund of the Walter and Elise Haas Fund. The performances are produced in partnership with the Laney Dance Department.
with public performances to honor the company’s long-standing commitment to community, cultural traditions, and education.
Diamano Coura West African Dance Company will premiere The Forbidden Bush, a music, dance and theater piece that re-imagines the vast challenge and human cost of deforestation. Since 1950, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), half of the world's forests have disappeared. The major causes of deforestation are population growth and the need for food, fuel, and shelter. In countries like Liberia, West Africa forests are vital to human existence and more than 80 percent of wood harvested from forest are used for wood fuel, the major energy source for cooking and heating. Yet, as areas of tropical forests are destroyed families are forced to relocate and change their way of life.
In the grand scheme of things, stopping deforestation in Liberia is a small victory. But the strategy behind it could be tremendously important to climate-change policy. The Forbidden Bush uses traditional Liberian music, dance and storytelling to highlight the challenges of and possible solutions to deforestation.
THE FORBIDDEN BUSH, a dance drama conceived in two acts and six scenes, combining live theater, music, dance and visual art. Set in the 20th century, the work depicts the story of Musu and Kona, a girl and a boy in their twenties who decided (despite warnings from their elders and parents) to travel into a part of the forest that is forbidden. In the forbidden forest, they are captured and tormented by the forest spirits for invading their secret domain and, according to folklore, a place where no human is allowed. Act one is filled with various kinds of masked dancers and animal imagery uncommonly seen; songs and dances from various endangered Liberian ethnic groups and visual art pieces as part of the set design. The second Act depicts Musa and Kona’s plea for forgiveness and reunification with their village elders and parents. This act presents traditional dances of the different peoples of the 13th century Mandingo Empire, incorporating Liberia, Senegal, Mali, Sierra Leone, the Ivory Coast, and Guinea. The story unveils an almost forgotten folk narrative, songs sung amongst the Vai, Kru, Kpelle and Loma people (endangered languages in Liberia and amongst Liberians living in America) and a lesson that tells how we, as a global community, can gain wisdom from the teachings and stories of elders.
The highly acclaimed company will perform Saturday, November 26th at 8:00PM and Sunday, November 27th at 3:00PM at the Laney College Theater, 900 Fallon Street in Oakland, CA.
Background. Diamano Coura West African Dance Company is dedicated to the preservation, education, and appreciation of traditional West African music, dance, theater, and culture. Since its inception in 1975 Diamano Coura, under the direction of Emmy Award winner Dr. Zak Diouf and Artistic Director Naomi Diouf, has implemented its mission through ongoing workshops, performances, youth programs, touring engagements, lecture demonstrations, community outreach, and creative partnership programs with renowned artists and performing companies. In addition, Diamano Coura strives to portray West African music and dance specifically as forms not simply for entertainment or exhibition, but rather, means by which communities educate, communicate, organize, and preserve their ancestral past. Diamano Coura in the Senegalese Wolof language means "those who bring the message."
Dr. Zakarya Diouf is the Founder and Director of Diamano Coura West African Dance Company. He received his Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from U.C. Berkeley and was director of the Mali Ensemble, a multinational company representing the unity of the West African countries of Mali, Senegal, and Guinea. He has done extensive research into African music and dance along with choreographing some of the best dance and dramatic pieces for renowned companies including the San Francisco Ballet. In 2005, along with the Honorable Ron V. Dellums, Dr. Diouf was honored with the Community Leadership Award by the San Francisco Foundation for his vision in unifying the African cultural arts community, for serving as a mentor and educator of young artists, and for his artistic contributions to the development of African-based performing arts. On June22, 2013 he received the Malonga Casquelourd Lifetime Achievement Award from the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival.
Naomi Gedo Diouf has assisted and choreographed works for numerous performing companies including the Dutch Theater Van Oosten in the Netherlands and Belgium, and U.C. Berkeley’s Drama Department. In 1998 and 1999, Mrs. Diouf collaborated with the San Francisco Ballet in the premiere of “Lambarena,” an African and classical ballet fusion piece for the Ballet for Utah, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Ballet of Florida, the Singapore and South African Ballet. A strong advocate of arts-in-education, Mrs. Diouf has worked with the Arts in Education programs in the San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Richmond, and Alameda School Districts to promote cultural literacy. She was named Distinguished Teacher by the Berkeley School Fund and has received numerous awards and recognition. She currently teaches West African dance and culture at Berkeley High School to over 200 students per semester.
Where are they now? Diamano Coura continues to embody an ever-evolving entourage of carefully trained male and female senior company dancers, actors, singers, acrobats, musicians, stilt walkers, and visual artists representing the African diaspora.
Tickets for performances on November 26th and 27th are $20 in advance for adults ages 19-64 ($25 at the door); $17 in advance for seniors 65+ and students ages 10-18 ($20 at the door). Purchase tickets at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2596376 .
# # #
The creation and production of Forbidden Bush are supported by the City of Oakland and City of Oakland Cultural Funding Program, Walter and Elise Haas Fund, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the Malonga Center for the Arts. The Forbidden Bush project is supported by a grant from the Creative Work Fund of the Walter and Elise Haas Fund. The performances are produced in partnership with the Laney Dance Department.
