Early childhood conference involves African music, dancing

By Lucas Pangburn

Staff Writer

It was hot outside the night of April 3, but the real heat was inside. Exotic sounds and foot tapping beats could be heard yards away from the Guerrieri Center. Kwame Ansah-Brew and Kofi Dennis, two performers from West Africa, put on a performance that shook the Wicomico Room. Ansah-Brew and Dennis wore striped, colorful African attire while standing on a stage filled with African percussion instruments.

It was there that they preformed their concert, which was called "Anansegromma." They wasted no time starting the music and exciting the crowd, which consisted of young children and their parents. They played fun songs from Africa and encouraged the audience to sing along as they banged their various instruments. It wasn’t long until the two men had the entire crowd on their feet becoming part of the show. Dennis instructed the audience on how to do simple, fun dances as Ansah-Brew kept a beat on a bongo drum.

"Slap your hands and then your shoulders!" yelled Dennis. Children and parents alike had huge smiles on their faces as they tried to imitate the African dance. Those too young to follow along with the dance were more than entertained by the African beats alone, as they jumped up and down. When Dennis wasn’t showing a dance he would take helm at the instruments while Ansah-Brew sang with the audience.

"Ahgo!" He shouted to the audience.

"Ahmay!" The audience shouted back. Ansah-Brew explained that "Ahgo" means "Are you listening?" or "Please listen." "Ahmay" means "Yes, I am listening." That phrase was repeated throughout the night several times until the performance came to an end.

The concert was a free event hosted by Ansah-Brew and Dennis the night before their main event. On April 4 they performed as the keynote speakers of the seventh annual Early Childhood Conference, which was held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in The Commons. There they showed parents and early childhood professionals how music, dance and storytelling can help young children learn. This event was held by The Lower Shore Child Care Resource Center (LSCCRC) in partnership with the Judy Center of Worcester and Wicomico counties.

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