Africa comes to the Kennedy Center this weekend as part of the "Imagination" series for ages 7 and up.
"Obo Addy: The Music and Dance of Ghana" features Addy, a master of drumming and dance, along with his two bands: Okropong, which focuses on traditional Ghanaian music, and Kukrudu, an eight-piece ensemble blending African and American musical styles.
The two stylistically different bands help represent Addy's lifetime journey through the world of music.
Addy's father was a Wonche medicine man in Ghana who used drums in his rituals and inspired his son to begin playing music.
After performing on the nightclub circuit in the late 1960s, Addy joined the National Arts Council of Ghana and became a master of traditional Ghanaian culture and dance.
Addy made his international debut at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
Okropong, Ghanaian for "eagle," performs traditional music using a variety of hand and stick drums, bells, shakers and "talking" drums. While the drummers build rhythm, the singers and dancers build a communication between the drummers and the audience.
Kukrudu, meaning "earthquake" in Addy's native language, is an eight-piece band integrating both Ghanaian percussion and Western musical instruments, including guitar, electric bass, saxophone, trombone, and drum kit.
In 1996, Addy received the National Heritage Fellowship Award given by the United States' National Endowment for the Arts.
The award honors master folk and traditional artists for their contributions to national and cultural heritage. Addy is the first African-born artist to receive the award.
