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KANKOUR A N WEST AFRICAN DANCE COMPANYApril 5, 2013 Contact:
(202) 518-1213
F O R I M M E D I A T E R E L E A S E BR E AKI N G N E WS! ! !
AN UNPRECIDENTED MOVEMENT BY DC RESIDENTS, ACTIVISTS AND SUPPORTERS
TO STOP THE
MASSIVE EROSION OF THE AFRICAN CULTURAL COMMUNITY IN THE
DISTRICT
TheWashington,D.C.areahasseenamassiveerosionofAfricaneducationalandculturalorganizations
inrecentyears.ThisMovementbyDistrictresidents,activistsandsupportersisanattempttostopthe
erosion of these organizations and to develop a sustainable and
permanent residence base in the
District. Just
inthepasttwomonths,twopioneerDC-basedperformingartsinstitutions,
the50plus
yearoldAfricanHeritageDancersandDrummersandKanKouranWestAfricanDanceCompany,almost
30 years old, have been forced to shut their doors indefinitely
where they have been offering
educational and cultural arts programming to the D.C. community,
national and international
communities collectively formore than 80
years.OtherDistrict-basedarts organizations such as the
DMVArtsAllianceshareourconcernandefforttoidentifyasustainableenvironmentforourcontinued
growthandexistencein theDistrictofColumbia.
Supportersarebeingaskedto contactDCCouncil
MembersaswellastestifyattheupcomingOfficeonAfricanAffairsbudgethearingsonFriday,April
19at10amattheWilsonBuilding,1350PennsylvaniaAvenue,NW,Washington,DC.
For local arts organizations, it has become extremely difficult
and almost impossible to secure and
maintainaffordablestudiospaceintheDistrict.
Assuch,theseorganizationshavebeenoperatingon
life support. Sadlytherapidpaceof redevelopmentandgentrification
intheDistrictofColumbiahas
notbeenkindtoartsorganizationslikeKanKouran.Whileweapplaudthecitysrebirth,andallofthe
wonderful, newthingsoccurring aroundus,DCs
AfricanandAfricanAmerican cultural treasures are
going by the wayside, in the very face of the Districts
transformation. Additionally, the current
economic crisis has furthercrippled these organizations and has
threatened their very survival. The
departureofKanKouranWestAfricanDanceCompanyandtheAfricanHeritageDancersandDrummers
fromtheD.C.culturalandperformingartsscenewillhaveadevastatingimpactontheDistrictsrich
culturalfabricandonthepeopletheseorganizationshaveservedfordecadesespeciallythechildren.
MovementObjectives:
Stop the erosion and focus on the preservation and
sustainability of the Africa
culturalorganizationsintheDistrictofColumbia.Itcannotbedonebyorganizationsalone;
ProvideGrantMakingAuthority
fortheMayorsOfficeonAfricanAffairs(OAA)equaltootherDCgovernmentofficeswithsimilarmandatethatwillallowOAAtooverseetechnicalassistance
grantsthatwillallowAfricanculturalorganizationstomaintaintheirpresenceinDC;
Provide immediate relief including appropriate studio space for
KanKouran and engage indiscussions with other organizations like
the African Heritage Dancers and Drummers to
ascertaintheirneedsandoptions.
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Howyoucanhelp
1)Call,VisitorEmailMayorVincentGrayandDCCouncilMembersListedbelow;
MayorVincentGray:Tel:(202)727-6300;Email: [email protected]
CouncilMembersontheCommitteeonWorkforceandCommunityAffairs
1. MarionBarryWard8
;Chair;Tel:(202)724-8045;Email:[email protected].
KenyanMcDuffyWard5;Tel:(202)724-8028;Email:[email protected].
TommyWells-Ward6 ;Tel:(202)724-8072;Email:[email protected].
YvetteAlexanderWard7
:Tel:(202)724-8068;Email:[email protected].
JimGraham-Ward1:Tel:(202)724-8181;Email:[email protected]
2)TESTIFYatOAAsUpcomingCouncilBudgetHearing,FRIDAY,APRIL19,10AM
BudgetHearingfor theOfficeon AfricanAffairshas been scheduled
forFriday, April 19that
10:00AM.Thehearingwillbeheldinroom120attheJohnWilsonBuilding(1350Pennsylvania
Avenue,NW).PersonswishingtotestifyabouttheperformanceofOAAoranotherCommunity
AffairsagencymaycontactGarretKing, Committee onWorkforce
andCommunity Affairsat
741-0948oremail:[email protected].
KanKouranmembersandsupportersareprimarilyfromDC,withseveralmembersandsupporterslivinginthe
metropolitanarea.WeareDistrictresidentslookingtobeservedbythoseweelectintooffice.
WhatYouShouldKnowAboutKanKouran
KanKouranwasfoundedinWashington,DCin1983asanon-profitperformingartsorganizationbyAssaneKonte
andAbdouKounta,bothnationalsofSenegal,WestAfrica.ThecompanymembersarefromAfrica,theCaribbean
andtheUnitedStates,alldedicatedtothecompanyspurposeofpreservingandsharingtherichcultureofAfrica.
Thecompanyhasbeen offeringeducational andculturalprogramming
forchildrenandadults in theauthentic
dancing and drumming styles of West Africa. The companys
outstanding reputation in the Washington, DC
metropolitanarea,andnationally,hasdeemeditoneofthemostsignificantculturalinstitutionsdeeplyrootedin
the Districts art scene. Under the leadership of its highly
acclaimed co-founder, choreographer and Artistic
Director,AssaneKonte,KanKouranhasperformedatsomeofthecountrysmostprominentvenues,includingthe
WhiteHouse,LincolnCenter,KennedyCenterforthePerformingArtsandtheSmithsonianInstitution.Butitsmost
treasured prize is the thousands of educational programs and
performances the company has conducted for
public,private,andcharterschoolsthroughouttheWashington,DCarea.KanKouranishosttothelargestfamily
reunionforAfricandancersanddrummersintheUnitedStatesforalmost30years.Thismajornationalconference
drawsAfricandancersanddrummersfromacrosstheUS,AfricaandtheCaribbeanandhassealedKanKourans
reputation asa key treasurein the Districtof Columbia. The
Companys success isperhapsbestjudgedbyits
longevityandbythelargenumberofcompanyandcommunitymemberswhoareinvolvedindiverseacademic,
professional, andentrepreneurial
pursuits,andwhocreditKanKouranwith instillingwithin themthe
discipline,
pride, and commitment to self and community which have made
their life pursuits meaningful as well as
successful.KanKouranisalsointernationallyacclaimed,havingperformedas
farawayasAfrica,Europe,Asiaand
theCaribbean.Ofalltheseplaces,KanKouranproudlycallsWashingtonDChome.
Formoreinformation,pleasevisitusatwww.kankouran.org
WETHANKYOUFORYOURCONTINUEDSUPPORT. Thespiritliveson!
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