Journey to West Africa

For five days in March and early April, more than 90 fourth graders at Palmer Elementary School left their usual classroom routine and ventured into a colorful, magical world of bright West African kente cloths, symbolic clay sculptures, and traditional drumming and dancing, courtesy of an Artist in Residence visit by artist and performer Maxwell Kofi Donkor.

On Friday, the students will show off the results of their journey—clay sculptures designed to be placed atop traditional shepherd’s staffs—during the school’s Art Show, to be held from 5 to 8:30 p.m. in the school gym.

Twenty of those students also will perform with Sankofa, Donkor’s drum and dance ensemble, at 6:30 that evening in the school’s Cole Auditorium. The performance is free and open to the public.

“The whole idea is to help them get in touch with themselves,” says Donkor, a native of Ghana who now lives in New York State. “It’s like getting into a very peaceful place, like a sanctuary.”

Palmer art teacher Christine Frobase says the school’s PTA has sponsored a fourth-grade Artist in Residence visit each  year for the past decade, offering students the opportunity to create something beyond the scope of their weekly art classes. The results of previous Artist-in-Residence visits are apparent throughout the school—a tile mosaic in the foyer, a wood mosaic in the fourth-grade hallway and traditional African textiles hanging in the Auld All-Purpose Room.

During Donkor’s visit on March 9, Palmer’s art room seemed a bit too energetic to be called a sanctuary, as five classes of students arrived, one after the other, to decide on their own symbols and create them, using  fingers and sticks, from red and white clay.

Some students chose traditional African themes, such as the symbol for strength. Others chose animals—several cats, a koala bear, a wolf, a bird.

Jonathan Pursell, a student in Stacy Ryzewski’s class, proudly showed off his complicated sculpture, which featured two baseball bats and a star.

“It looks like it’s gonna fall,” observed classmate Cade Rhinehart, gazing at Jonathan’s creation.

Throughout, Donkor kept a gentle, benevolent smile on his face and offered words of encouragement to the young sculptors.

The smile continued as he led a practice session for the drummers and dancers, teaching them a traditional “call and response chant” and urging them to work together.

“Step in on the beat,” he reminded the dancers, putting them through their paces to the beat of a variety of drums, and offering his words of hope and encouragement. “You get so connected by drumming and dancing that you begin to communicate.”

To learn more about Maxwell Kofi Donkor, visit his website, www.bak2roots.com.