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Hereby proclaiming October 18, 2019 as K?l? M?l? Day in Philadelphia in honor of the nation's first African Dance & Drum Ensemble on its 50th Anniversary.
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WHEREAS, On September 4, 2019, K?l? M?l? African Dance & Drum Ensemble (K?l? M?l?) celebrated its 50th Anniversary. The celebration of this historic event continues with the world premiere of their new spellbinding production, Ogun & the People, on Saturday, November 30, at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and the launch reception of its new commemorative book, K?l? M?l?'s Ogun & the People: Celebrating 50 Years, on Friday, October 18 at the African American Museum of Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, K?l? M?l? was founded in 1969 by legendary drummer Baba Robert "Ibikunle" Crowder, the dynamic ensemble is the oldest continually-performing African dance and drum ensemble in the nation; and
WHEREAS, Under Crowder's expert tutelage, the ensemble continued the traditions of iconic dancer/choreographers Pearl Primus and Katherine Dunham by performing authentic dances of Africa and its Diaspora, and became a major part of the foundation of Philadelphia's Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s. K?l? M?l? helped give birth to a cultural renaissance in Philadelphia's African American communities and attracted those who were eager to study and experience African culture through the performing arts. Scores of dancers and drummers were trained by Crowder through K?l? M?l? at his longtime headquarters in West Philadelphia's Lee Cultural Center; and
WHEREAS, K?l? M?l? has been a crucial training ground for African dance, drum and culture throughout the Philadelphia region. Over 77 dancers and musicians have participated in K?l? M?l? through the years. The Philadelphia-based ensemble is dedicated to serving the community by presenting and preserving the culture, dance and music of Africa and its Diaspora; and
WHEREAS, K?l? M?l? draws on the musical and movement genres of Brazil, Haiti, Cu...
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