By William H. Kelly III
JSU’s African Drum and Dance Ensemble will travel to Banjul, Gambia, in West Africa, May 18 – June 1, 2023, for a two-week immersive experience to study the music, dance, and culture of three West African ethnic groups: the Jola, Wolof, and Mandinka people. The opportunity comes in part via a $40,000 grant thanks to the support of the Mali-based not-for-profit organization Instruments4Africa and the U.S. Department of State.
JSU’s 11-person ensemble will share cultural uniquities encountered as an African tradition-honoring group in the U.S. and their mission to address challenges often found in the African-American community.
“I’m really proud of this opportunity because it really is a reflection of what my goal has been since coming to JSU, and that’s to really think about reframing the mission of our HBCUs to address the needs of our students,” said Department Chair and Professor of Ethnomusicology in the Department of Music, Lisa Beckley-Roberts, Ph.D. “Today, HBCUs have addressed the needs of the black community. So, as those needs are shifting, it’s important for us to shift as well. My goal has always been to really push DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) here, global awareness, and all of these different things that currently affect our students.”
According to Beckley-Roberts, the partnership stems from over a year ago, starting with a virtual event by the Gambia Department of State where she presented how African-Americans in the U.S. channel African music and dance to address community and personal health-related issues. The virtual event was hosted in February 2022 to honor Black History Month and highlight the connections between Africa and African-Americans in America.
“I mentioned that I would love for an opportunity to bring students there and to do some studying and exchange of culture. They were very interested,” said Beckley-Roberts, who also received contact from Paul Chandler, director and co-founder of Instruments4Africa, to establish a lasting partnership with Jackson State University. Chandler and Roberts collaborated on the initial grant proposal.
Since their contact, the Department of Music and Instruments4Africa has collaborated on recording studio projects and frequent virtual events such as concerts and festivals in each respective country, allowing JSU students to expand their artistic horizons and further explore the world as rising professional musicians.
“It’s been great for our students to have the opportunity to be exposed to different things,” said Beckley-Roberts. “We’re hoping that this is the first of many trips and that we will make this an annual event that our students can embark upon every summer. They can garner all of this experience and bring it back to our campus and to our community.”
Community in motion and a call back home
The ensemble is a collection of like-minded individuals who call themselves family. The group is open to JSU students, alumni, faculty and staff, as well as community members, making the ensemble a hub of various disciplines, backgrounds, and personalities. Some disciplines and majors include music technology, music education, music performance, social work, biology, and more.
Many of the students are eager to “return to the Motherland” and engage in activities that are specific to their discipline and career, including the general activities arranged for the group.
Rachel Curtis, Ph.D., an adjunct instructor of biology and research technician at JSU, is set to work alongside herbalists during her two weeks in Africa to deepen her research on Nigerian herbs that prevent certain cancers. She joined the Drum and Dance Ensemble during its inaugural season in 2016 as a dancer.
“I’m super excited. It’ll be a therapeutic experience for me, of course, getting a break to go study. It’s also good to be able to touch on what I really love because I love dance,” said Curtis. “It’s my therapy, but biology is my core essence. So, to be able to intertwine them is going to be really good.”
She added.
“I am almost sure that as soon as I touch down [in Africa], I’m going to just fall out in tears because I think of things on such a deep level in everything that I do. I’m always trying to honor my ancestors, and to go back there is going to be just beautiful,” Curtis said.
Among the rewards of traveling to Africa is an opportunity for the ensemble to learn how to play traditional West African instruments and bring a set of those instruments back to Jackson State.
Regan Jackson, a 2023 Spring Commencement graduate from JSU, is now a double alum from the Department of Music, carrying a Bachelor of Music and a master’s in music education. Jackson encourages students in the music department to take advantage of every opportunity.
“Whenever you get the opportunity, you have to jump on it and take it while you have it. Being a student from 2014 and seeing how the African Drum and Dance Ensemble for Jackson State has evolved is phenomenal,” Jackson said.
Shawn Lawrence is a 2021 Department of Music alum and another veteran member who joined during its inaugural season. He is a world music percussionist and currently serves as one of the music directors for the ensemble. As a music director, Lawrence constructs music, teaches techniques and rhythms for the djembe and dundun, and overall motivates the ensemble to be greater than themselves.
He is most looking forward to continuing the program to enrich future HBCU and JSU students on a cultural, spiritual, and global scale.
“I just hope that there’s a steady flow of people like us that have the opportunity to go to the continent and experience Africa. Not just the ensemble, but maybe even the music department as a whole,” said Lawrence. “This could be another way for us to get there [to Africa] and another recruiting tool for kids to come here [to JSU] and understand themselves. It could be something bigger.”
Through performances and donations, the African Drum and Dance Ensemble has raised over $6,000 to offset costs and further assure students are only responsible for covering the prices of their passports, vaccinations, and visas. The ensemble graciously accepts donations to continue supporting the costs and expenses of their trip to West Africa. Please direct donations to the JSU Development Foundation-African Drum and Dance Ensemble, and follow the JSU African Drum and Dance Ensemble on all social media platforms for a behind-the-scenes look at their trip to Africa, upcoming event dates, and booking.
Media contact: William H. Kelly III, william.h.kelly@jsums.edu
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