A world percussion concert featuring Bernard Woma and the Saakumu Dance Troupe will bring Ghanaian music and dance to the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh campus.
The free event, held jointly with the UW Oshkosh percussion ensemble directed by Elizabeth DeLamater, is slated for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 9, at the Music Hall in the Arts and Communication Center, 1001 Elmwood Ave., Oshkosh.
Saakumu Dance Troupe is dedicated to introducing audiences to traditional and contemporary African music and dance. It is one of the leading traditional/contemporary music and dance groups of Ghana, West Africa. The event marks the first time Woma and the Saakumu Dance Troupe will perform in Wisconsin.
Besides a concert celebrating music and dance, the visit brings a cultural element to the UW Oshkosh campus.
“This will be a three-day residency, which will allow our students to do more than rehearse and perform with the guests,” DeLamater said. “We will have time to get to know our guests personally, learn about their lives in Ghana, and learn more about their music in its cultural context.”
Led by Woma, the group’s repertoire spans genres from spiritual, ceremonial and recreational to contemporary African dance forms. The music and dance is considered as “joyful, expressive and highly participatory.”
One of the highlights of the evening will be a Dagara gyil (xylophone) performance by Woma, who DeLamater said is the world’s most respected Dagara musician.
She studied at Woma’s Dagara Music Center in Ghana last summer and she is excited to bring her teachers and Ghanaian friends to Oshkosh.
“I cannot wait for my own students to experience the expertise and joyful artistry of Mr. Woma and all of the members of Saakumu,” DeLamater said.
The event is sponsored by the UW Oshkosh Naker Society.
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