The Africans Are Coming, An African Cultural Festival

Online Presentation of
Northern California's African Cultural Festival,
Popularly known as
The Africans Are Coming!

Photo Credit: The cast of The Africans Are Coming in an eclectic
celebration of African cultural arts during the finale performance

We are pleased to bring you this special video edition of Northern California's African Cultural Festival, popularly known as "The Africans Are Coming." "The Africans Are Coming" is the largest seasonal professional African Cultural Arts Extravaganza in the United States.

This special season played at the Calvin Simmons Theatre in Oakland, California to a spell-bound audience of an estimated 3,800 plus. For many, it was their first exposure to professional African cultural arts theater and the thrills of a superb world-class production staged by Artistic Director, CK Ladzekpo and powerfully executed by a distinguished cast of over 125 performers drawn from five renowned and culturally diversed sub-saharan repertory companies, remained a rewarding and lasting experience. These companies included, The Ladzekpo Brothers And The Africn Music And Dance Ensemble, C.K. Ladzekpo, Director, Fua Dia Congo, Malonga Casquelourd, Director, Diamano Coura West African Dance Company, Zak Diouf, Director, Ceedo Senegalese Dance Company, Allasane Kane and Abdoulaye Diakate, Directors, and Dimension Dance Theatre, Deborah Vaugh, Director.

The Africans Are Coming started in 1977 as an annual repertory concert of the African Music And Dance Ensemble and has become the most visible symbol of broader commitments and activities which engage not only the African Music And Dance Ensemble, but also African cultural arts professionals, scholars, public agencies and community advocates.

The African Music And Dance Ensemble is an Oakland-California based repertory company dedicated to broadening access to the knowledge about Africa's rich cultural heritage across the United States, Canada and Europe.

We hope this special video edition will transport you to other places, other times, and leave you with a heightened sense of pride in your culture and your place in the world we share.

Photo Credit: The African Music And Dance Ensemble, CK Ladzekpo, Director performing
Agbeko, a war dance suite from the Anlo-Ewe people of Ghana, West Africa

Below are some clips from the Africans Are Coming video edition. Enjoy them. You could acquire the full hour long version. For information, send me an email: ladzekpo@calmail.berkeley.edu

African Music and Dance Ensemble
CK Ladzekpo, Director

A video clip of slow movement of Agbeko, a war dance suite from the Anlo-Ewe people of Ghana, West Africa

A video clip of the fast movement of Agbeko, a war dance suite from the Anlo-Ewe people of Ghana, West Africa

Diamano Coura West African Dance Company
Zak Diouf, Director

A video clip of Lamba from the Xasonke people of Mali, West Africa

Fua Dia Congo Congolese Dance Company
Malonga Casquelourd, Director

A video clip of BaKongo from the BaKongo people of Central Africa

Email Inquiries: ladzekpo@calmail.berkeley.edu
C. K. Ladzekpo Home Page
African Music And Dance Ensemble Home Page
Foundation Course In African Dance-Drumming
UC Berkeley African Music Ensemble (Music 148) Page

Note: these pages are constantly under construction. We are always adding material about the music and culture of the Ewe and other African ethnic groups, along with related graphics, sound, and videos that you can download.

WebMastering
by

Email Inquiries
CK Ladzekpo
Home Page

and

Richard Hodges