Black History –
“Bass, bass, bass. One at a time.”
The rhythmic sound of drums belted through the computer speakers as an intimate crowd of five gathered over Zoom to learn the basics of West African drumming.
Greenbelt Recreation hosted an African drummers master class Saturday as part of the city’s line-up of Black History Month events.
The class was taught by Michael Kweku Owusu, an artist and craftsman from Accra, Ghana. He wore a shirt with a West African print and was accompanied by his instrument.
“Try and raise your hand more when you play,” Kweku instructed as he lightly tapped the Djembe traditional drum between his legs. “The drum should be tilted away from you.”
For the class, Kweku taught participants a traditional piece of music called Kuku which is commonly played in West Africa during the fishing harvest.
“Boom, boom, boom. Hit the center of your drum with your palm,” Kweku said. “Once you understand the basics, you can play the Djembe.”
Kweku spent over 10 years studying traditional West African drumming, building drums and working closely with poverty-stricken children in the Ghana Arts Center.
He founded Drumming Up From Poverty, whose purpose is to support, polish and share the talents of artists and craftspeople. Kweku teaches many classes internationally and said he loves
introducing others to the traditional rhythms of his country.
“Okay, turn on your mics, let me hear you play one by one,” Kweku instructed. “Then we’ll play together.”
The class lasted an hour and was open to all ages. Participants were required to bring their own drums since it was virtual.
Lois Rosado, co-chair of the Greenbelt Black History and Culture Committee, said it was a great learning experience. Pam Hamlin, a local participant, agreed.
“I’ve always wanted to drum so this is definitely getting me back into it,” Hamlin said. “It was a great class and I learned a lot.”
Despite not having a drum, Rebekah Sutfin, Greenbelt’s therapeutic recreation supervisor, said she couldn’t stay still during the lesson.
“It’s hard when you do anything with sound because of the little Zoom delay but I was tapping on my table,” she said. “You can’t help but move your feet because of the beat, so it was amazing.”
Greenbelt Recreation has more Black history events scheduled through February.
Glory Akem Ngwe is a University of Maryland journalism student reporting for the News Review.