Maeve Bauer, Spectrum Editor
With walls covered in art and decor from across the African diaspora — laughter and conversation harmonized with traditional African drum music on Saturday, Feb. 21, at the Elegba Folklore Society.
Elegba Folklore Society’s cultural center is located at 101 E. Broad St. It typically functions as an educational gallery. Each piece of art and jewelry in the space has a meaning connected to Africa, according to founder Janine Bell.
They are committed to celebrating African and African-American culture year-round, according to their website. Elegba is a deity that comes from Yoruba cosmology of West Africa and is an “intercessor who opens the roads, bringing clarity out of confusion.”
The point of Convergence is to share the history of African dance through African dance, according to Bell.
“How many people say ‘Oh, y’all over there jumping up and down with some drum beats,’ and giving it no artistic credibility? When African dance is the first forms of movement that we know on the planet. African drums is the first forms of music that we know on the planet. This is the classical dance,” Bell said.
Convergence consisted of four classes, three dances and one drum. They were taught by different instructors who specialize in different types of dance. There were two adult dance classes, a youth dance class and one drum class.
The instructors for the event were Myah Walker-Taylor, Assane Konte, Fode Moussa Camara and Samantha Salters.
Salters has been working with Elegba Folklore Society since 2018. When Bell invited her to instruct at Convergence, Salter saw it as a great way to contribute to the community through the arts.
“The very communal aspect of it in itself is healing, brings people together. We sing together, we use our voices, we’re sweating together,” Salter said. “The baseline is community … It’s a very holistic form and so that’s why I think it’s important to keep spreading the word and getting people involved with traditional African dance.”
Salters found the opportunity wonderful and hopes she can continue to do activities like this in the future that invite people to come and dance.
People drove hours to join in on the celebration, including Sister Nadiyah Stowers, who attends dance classes led by Konte. She traveled to Richmond to learn more from the founder of KanKouran, Konte’s West African dance company that he opened back in 1983.
As a first-time visitor, Stowers said Elegba Folklore Society felt very inviting.
“The environment is very conducive to cultural awareness,” Stowers said. “I like how they display all the masks, the drums. You get a real, authentic encounter before you do the dance … and as you move into the spaces, and all the different areas it is filled with educational items that you can learn from.”
After a long day of dance and celebration, instructors, organizers and attendees ended the night in conversation, sharing food that was based in several different West-African culinary traditions — a display of community coming together and rejoicing in a shared past, present and future.
More information on Elegba Folklore Society and the events they hold can be found on their website, efsinc.org.