African Diasporic Arts and Education

Drum Sermons: Folktales, Legends, and Myths from the Far Corners of Africa

Drum Sermons is a celebration of music that recounts its origins and makes clear how it came to live in our hearts. This informative yet entertaining performance includes stories from the Far Corners of the African continent, spirited drumming, a lesson on hand drumming technique, dance, song, and a healthy dose of the obligatory African tradition of audience participation. Drum Sermons is offered formatted as workshops, residencies, and celebratory performances, with an audience capacity of 1000.

The presenters of Drum Sermons is Orisirisi African Folklore- a performing arts company rooted in the history, culture, and traditions of Africa and the African diaspora, inclusive of folktales, legends, and myths, spirited drumming, dance and song, children’s games, and lectures on special topics. The nationally and internationally acclaimed performing arts and educational initiative was founded in 1986 by husband-and-wife team Don and Tutu Harrell, with the expressed purpose of sharing the beauty and poignancy of African life and culture. Orisirisi has provided its unique brand of folklore, for countless people from a vast array of demographics and cultural backgrounds at primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities, festivals, churches, libraries, museums, conferences, corporate and teacher in-services, television and radio programs, special events including an approximately 12,000 show run at Walt Disney World’s Epcot  and being featured in the WUCF/PBS Emmy Award-Winning Special-GRRI-IFIC Neighbors with Daniel Tigers.

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