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Arts Gumbo 2009 - Odunde Festival

Arts Gumbos Odunde Festival is presented by ADEFUA and is scheduled on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, November 6-8. The 24th Annual Odunde Festival features the Ugandan Orphans Choir, Thione Diop & Yeke Yeke of Senegal and Seattles own Adefua African Music & Dance Company. Odunde also includes an African Marketplace, dance and drum workshops and food samplings.

On Friday, November 6th, Odunde opens with an African Marketplace featuring a variety of African vendors selling diverse items such as traditional clothing, toys, books, and arts and crafts. At 6pm, audience members are invited to participate in an interactive dance and drum workshop followed by A Taste of Africa food sampling at 6:00pm. At 7 pm Seattles own Adefua African Music & Dance Company will perform A Message from our Elders. The performance continues at 8pm, Master drummer from Senegal Thione Diop & Yeke Yeke, a percussion ensemble specializing in the traditional rhythms of West Africa.

On Saturday, November 7th, The Odunde Festival opens at 12noon for an African Marketplace of traditional arts and crafts, followed by three interactive workshops. At 12:30pm, an African drum class will be taught by Adeyemi Harris; at 2:30pm, Afua Iyalaje NDiaye will teach an African dance workshop and at 4:30pm, The Ugandan Orphans Choir will teach an inter-active dance workshop. At 5:30pm, Black Starline will host a community potluck featuring West African cuisine. Evening performances begin at 7:00pm featuring The Ugandan Orphans Choir, Seattles All City African Drumming and Dance Youth Ensemble, and Griot and Master Kora Player Balla Tounkara from Mali, West Africa. The Ugandan Orphans Choir is from Childcare Worldwides childrens village on the Ssese Islands in Uganda. The special children are known for their amazing abilities to sing and dance. Saturdays proceeds will benefit for the African Resource Center.

On Sunday, November 8th, The Odunde Festival continues with the African Marketplace opening at 12 noon and a Calling of the Communities Capacity Building Workshop Series running from 1:00-5:00pm. The workshops will feature a bringing together of various communities to support the construction of the new African Resource Center. Mayet Dalila, Marvin Rosette, and Kibibi Moni will facilitate the workshops in the assembly room of the Rainier Valley Cultural Center. Refreshments will be served.