Special Events
odd: label: Introduction
content: The first in what later became a series of annual tributes to Festival founding director Ralph Rinzler featured two of his earliest collaborators in the folk revival - Pete Seeger and Mike Seeger - as well as Piedmont blues from the duo of John Cephas and Phil Wiggins and African American music of the Appalachians from Ed Cabbell and Melissa Cabbell.

Other special evening concerts provided a preview of an ongoing project concerning African immigrant communities in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. While many recent African immigrant communities shared some social characteristics with each other, with others of the African diaspora, and with immigrant groups in general, they also varied considerably in size, in the length of time they had been in the United States, and in the circumstances that brought them to this country. Some individuals came with scholarships to American universities; others fled oppressive political situations with "only the shirt on their backs," as one Ethiopian educator and cab driver explains.

In the process of building community life in the United States, African-born immigrants in America in the 1990s were creating new and unique forms of expressive culture patterned after but not identical to African forms; they actively and explicitly used the language of tradition - ways of cooking food, of dressing, of dancing - to define themselves as Africans, in the context of the United States, to each other and to the world.

Fieldwork by the project team - primarily constituted of community-based scholars - during the project's first year hinted at the richness of the material available: from Ghanaian drumming to Zairian soukous music; from Nigerian jollof rice to Ethiopian coffee ceremonies; from Senegalese hair-braiding to Somalian women's songs; from South African poetry of invocation to personal experience stories of immigrants' first encounters with American culture. The African Immigrant Study Group hoped that the activities at the 1995 Festival as well as the full program in 1997 would make their cultures more accessible and more valued as an important part of the Washington area's cultural heritage.

Emily Botein was Program Coordinator for the evening programs and special events. The African Immigrant Folklife Study Project was directed by Diana Baird N'Diaye, with Betty Belanus serving as Education Specialist, Roland Freeman as Fieldwork Photography Advisor, and Sulayman Nyang as Head Advisor. Project Advisors included Mary Jo Arnoldi, Hayelom Ayele, Laura Bigman, Camilla Bryce-Laporte, Roy Bryce-Laporte, Olivia Cadaval, Roland Freeman, Philippa Jackson, Portia James, Niani Kilkenny, Michael Licht, Phyllis May-Machunda, Deborah Mack, Sharon Rienken, Beverly Robinson, Fath Ruffins, Peter Seitel, and Addisu Tolesa.
label: Fieldworkers, co-curators, presenters
content: Dangnachew Abebe (Ethiopia), Veronica Abu (Ghana), Ebo Ansa (Ghana), Kwaku Ofori Ansa (Ghana), Nomvula Cook (Lesotho/Southern Africa), Abdirahman Dahir (Somalia), Tonye Victor Erekosima (Nigeria), Florence Guindo (Nigeria), Tesfaye Lemma (Ethiopia), Nobel Makar (Egypt), Mary Monseur (Egypt), Mumia Shimaka Mbasu (Kenya/East Africa), Gorgui N'Diaye (Senegal), Gilbert Ogunfiditimi (Nigeria), Ann Olumba (Nigeria), Dorothy Osei-Kuffuor (Ghana), Aristides Pereira (Senegal)
label: Participants
content: SOCIAL MUSIC AND DANCE

THE VOLTA ENSEMBLE, GHANAIAN (EWE) COMMUNITY  -- THE VOLTA ENSEMBLE, GHANAIAN (EWE) COMMUNITYAdult performersGodwin AgodoRad AkoriiJosephine AkuDavid Aku, Sr.William AyensonEric AzumaEvelyn AzumaFelly BlegeNana BlegeKenzie DamankeWilliam DzathorKwame Koffle-LartSteve NashGeorgina NuwameEmmanual SawyerGladys VodiChild performersDela AgodoEmefa AgodoGamell AgodoSesime AgodoCynthia AkuDavid Aku, Jr.Amanda AzumaSefe AzumaSelom AzumaEnyonam BlegeEyram BlegeSitsofe BlegeAlexandra NuwamePascal NuwameSharon NuwameAfi VodiMawuii Vodi

THE NILE ETHIOPIAN ENSEMBLE, ETHIOPIAN COMMUNITY  -- THE NILE ETHIOPIAN ENSEMBLE, ETHIOPIAN COMMUNITYSetagne Atena, masinko (one-stringed fiddle)Abebe Belew, kebero drumsAlmaz Getahun, danceAshenafi Miteku, danceSelamawit Nega, vocalsAsaye Zegeye, kraar (six stringed lyre)

SOUKOUS

PAPA LOUIS AND LIZIBA, CENTRAL AFRICAN COMMUNITY  -- PAPA LOUIS AND LIZIBA, CENTRAL AFRICAN COMMUNITYPapa Louis, lead guitarJoselito De Kashama, vocals"Stick" Malowdo, drumsMartino, guitarGelo De Mingongo, vocalsWilly Naweza, vocals"Petit" Sammy, atalakuZino "Synthe", keyboards

THE SENEGALESE SUPPORT SOCIETY AND GAMBIAN ASSOCIATION  -- THE SENEGALESE SUPPORT SOCIETY AND GAMBIAN ASSOCIATIONAwa Ba, danceMariama Diop, danceMagatte fall, talking drumMare Gueye, ndere drumIdrissa Gueye, mbeung-mbeung drumBara Mboup, lamb drumCheikh Tahirou MBaye, ndere drumMame Khoudia Niang, danceSophie Sar, danceHaddy Mu Ndow Sekka, dance

BASOTHO PRAISE POETRY

LESOTHO-SOUTH AFRICAN COMMUNITY  -- LESOTHO-SOUTH AFRICAN COMMUNITYMike Mvelase, poet

NORTH AFRICAN

THE NORTH AFRICAN REGION ENSEMBLE  -- THE NORTH AFRICAN REGION ENSEMBLEMohamed Habibi, luteSayed Ismeal, oud, group leaderAdel Al Khadi, violinKhalid, DrumMahmoud Tutu, niy flute

NGONJERA (POETIC CONVERSATION)

THE ASSOCIATION OF TANZANIAN COMMUNITY IN AMERICA  -- THE ASSOCIATION OF TANZANIAN COMMUNITY IN AMERICAEmanuel Bandawe, performerJessica Kamala Mushala, performerPrimrose Mushala, performerMartin Ngireu, writerGeorge Sebo, performer

PRAISE POETRY INVOCATION, CELEBRATORY DANCE, NIGERIAN COMMUNITY

IGBO POETRY OF INVOCATION, THE ANIOMA ASSOCIATION  -- IGBO POETRY OF INVOCATION, THE ANIOMA ASSOCIATIONAugustine Nwabueze, president, responseTony Dunkwu, responseFidelis Iwugo, responseGeorge Nwabuku, responseFlorence Nwaonye, responseSonny Obidi, responseChief Raphael Ogbolu, invocationKunirum Osia, responseMr. & Mrs. Elias Uwandi, response

EWI (YORUBA PRAISE POETRY)

Abiodun Adepoju, poetry

Kemi Oriowo, dance

Tayo Oriowo, talking drum

CELEBRATORY DANCE

THE AKWA IBOM STATE ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA  -- THE AKWA IBOM STATE ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIAFrank Akanem, presidentJustina Ikpim, vice presidentElizabeth Akanem, danceFlorence Inwang, danceHelen Inwang, danceEdemekong Isema, drumIbok Isema, drumSamuel Isema, drumWilson Oduk, drumEno Okon, danceGodwin Udo, drumRose Williams, dance

PAN-AFRICAN IMMIGRANT GOSPEL MUSIC

MIXED CHOIR OF THE CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD  -- MIXED CHOIR OF THE CHURCH OF THE LIVING GODLeslie Hawkins, senior choir directorSamuel Gyermah, junior choir directorSamuef Agyepong-Mensah, band leader, lead guitaristJuliana Agyepong-Mensah, lead vocalsSamuel Jr. Agyepong-Mensah, bass guitarNana Busia, alto vocalsYau Cann, congasErnest Frimpong, congasKwabena Larbi, drumsInnocent Onyeanusi, drums, bass guitar

A Tribute to Ralph Rinzler: July 2nd Evening Concert

Ed Cabbell, vocals, Morgantown, West Virginia

Melissa Cabbell, vocals, Tahens, West Virginia

John Cephas, vocals, guitar, Woodford, Virginia

Phil Wiggins, harmonica, Washington, D.C.

Mike Seeger, vocals, guitar, banjo, autoharp, Lexington, Virginia

Pete Seeger, vocals, banjo, guitar, Beacon, New York
name: label: Collection Creator
content: Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
setName: label: See more items in
content: Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1995 Festival of American Folklife
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections
identifier: label: Identifier
content: CFCH.SFF.1995, Series 6
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials