“Moja, mbili, tatu!”
Parents and children chanted the countdown in Swahili for the African music to begin. Tiny fists thrust into the air as participants of the Kidworks Touring Theatre Company’s African Drumming Circles workshops spun and lunged to sharp beats at the main branch of the Evanston Public Library, 1703 Orrington Ave.
The program presented interactive, multicultural learning to a diverse audience on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Children learned about African geography, games and apparel during hour-long workshops that an estimated 150 people attended throughout the day.
“It helps them understand the differences between African American people and where African culture came from,” said Andrea Salloum, artistic director and performer for Kidworks. “This helps other children have respect for African people. It makes things universal.”
Kidworks brought djembe drums from Senegal and Ghana, shakers from Nigeria and authentic fabrics from Kwanzaa festivals. Each wooden drum was covered in goatskin. Salloum taught three beats to the children, who yelled chants in high-pitched unison.
Jan Bojda, head of children’s services, said the library provided the program to give Evanston children something to do on their day off. The library holds other activities throughout the year when children do not have school.
“We try to pick things that are in the spirit of the times,” she said.
The highlight of the workshops was the re-enactment of a wedding from Cameroon. The ceremony requires the woman to be covered in cloth from head to toe. As part of the arranged marriage, the man uncovers one piece of fabric at a time until he reveals her identity.
“It was dark,” said 7-year-old Miara Handler, the bride from one of the ceremonies. “They uncovered me, but the boy didn’t take off the cloth very well.”
Parents walked away with more than catchy beats and married children. Several people acknowledged that the workshops’ cultural aspects had relevance for MLK Day.
“I think that the majority of Americans don’t pay attention (to the holiday) at all,” Miara’s mother Arden Handler said. “It is vital to expose kids to this kind of event. Kids need to understand and appreciate we are off to recognize Martin Luther King.”
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