Our 2024 MAAFA exhibition, Radiant Rhythms, is a celebration of the divine power of African drums. For centuries, the stories of Africa have been forged in rhythm by musical griots who pay tribute to the unwavering resolve, strength, and history of our culture by touching hand, stick, or bone to an African drum. From Djembe to Bara, Tama to Krin, Sabar to Bougarabou, the sounds of these sacred instruments take us on a journey of remembrance through time, tradition, struggle and triumph.

Each beat of an African drum tells a story, echoing the voices of ancestors who taught us how to use them to communicate, celebrate, mourn, and inspire. Drums announce births, deaths, marriages, religious rites and rituals, and social and political events. They herald our coming to and our going from the land of the living, and every significant moment in between. Throughout history, as Africa experienced tragedy after tragedy at the hands of colonizers, the drums remained a steadfast connection to our sacred source.

Join us on Friday, June 28 from 6pm-9pm at Ashé Cultural Arts Center and explore the power, rhythm, and story of the drum.

Curated by Frederick “Wood” Delahoussaye; drums provided by Southern University at New Orleans Museum of Art, Bill Summers, Luther Gray, and Frederick “Wood” Delahoussaye. Images by Gason Ayisyin, quilts by Louise Mouton-Johnson and Cely Pedescleaux.