PORTLAND ART MUSEUM

Portland, Oregon, 2023-2024

Mandiani

60”x 48” Acrylic, rubber, collage on wood panel

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Mandiani is a West African dance honoring women's creativity, energy, beauty, and vibrant dancing abilities. View the mandiani dance here

Koroduga donkéla (Koroduga dancers) are comedian characters in Bamanan society that tell stories about everyday life events through dance, costume, song and word. Koroduga sing meaningful songs and tell stories to help people understand life concepts like birth, death, celebration, harvest or cultural events through different perspectives; they are like counselors, but also comedians because they bring light and laughter to sometimes tough topics. Koroduga are comedians by appearance as well. They dress up differently, depending on the village, but are known to collect recyclable things and use them for their costumes (cowrie shells, old cans, shoes etc…) The idea is to dress raggedy and unusually to attract attention.

Kumba-lélé

24”x 48” Acrylic, oil, rubber, collage on wood panel
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Kumba-Lélé is a djembe dance in Mali, originally for very little kids as it was the first dance I ever learned. It’s part of "che che koolay" family, a song originated from Ghana, with similar ones in Togo, Benin and Ivory Coast.

Koroduga

24”x 48” Acrylic, oil, rubber, collage on wood panel 

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