Cultural education and advancement

Arts & Culture , Dance

In 2016, aade celebrated its 30th year of kwanzaa in the durham community. Attendance at kwanzaa is between 700-800 individuals. We have the unique opportunity to be all inclusive by offering education, entertainment, and family styled fun, while providing the opportunity for many citizens to witness the performance of a professional company at no cost. The project addresses the need for our community to come together in peace and unity, year round by giving educational books on black history, and bi-lingual resources in spanish and english, presenting vendors from different countries displaying arts and crafts and also hosted a chinese delegation of students and business leaders. The kwanzaa fest is a celebration of african american culture and also a time when diversity has a prominent place within the program. Kwanzaa fest showcases talent from the durham community and surrounding area. It is a time when aade can bring in talent from other states and introduce them to the people of our community. We celebrate the differences and this time is used for education purposes as well. Dr. Baba chuck davis uses this celebration to teach the youth how to respect their elders and reaffirm to the elders their position within the community is to train and be examples to our youth. Through poetry in motion, by use of the spoken word, different artists take the stage to inform and uplift the spirits and minds of a people who sometimes seem despondent to the everyday care of life. These individuals are often admonished through sound and grounded speech to forever lift up their heads, to be encouraged and to strive to be more than a statistic. They are encouraged to reach beyond the boundaries of their physical eyes and understanding, that if they can believe it, they can receive it. The monies we receive from the grant give us an opportunity to bring in new and creative talent and to reach across the chasm of racism and prejudices that have for so long pervaded and invaded our communities. Kwanzaa fest is an opportunity for diversity to take place on a grassroots level and not diminish the african american culture nor cast blight on any other community that may show a positive and intelligent interest. We were able to assist with an interpreter for the hearing impaired and have space reserved for those who were physically challenged. With the funds provided, we were enabled to off-set some costs to go and teach to the schools in the surrounding area and to showcase the need for respect for the elders and most importantly pride in themselves. To encourage our youth to not bully and how to not be a victim, through the art of dance and that there is a commonality among us all and the importance of the arts cannot be understated. Whether the children are taking band, piano lessons, modern or cultural dance, painting or self expression through words these are all important features of the arts. The funds also enabled us to go to unc cultural arts program and present to college students, where we were able to pass out brochures about aade and the arts in durham, nc and the standing that the arts are fighting hard to maintain in the community as a whole. We have been attending city council meetings as well as county meetings. Constantly staying in touch and making our presence known to our elected officials and always taking every opportunity to press the need for our local government, city and county to understand that the arts is important, not only for the big named performances that come to the dpac, but that we must nurture our youth and make ourselves accessible to our colleges and universities in the area and make sure that we are in the forefront of the fight for supporting the arts. We have been able to focus on health issues and thereby make contact with duke health system and with the county health department access to care. The monies that we have received are invaluable for our day to day operations. Materials that need t