African Body, Soul, & MVMNT

African Body, Soul, & MVMNT

African Body, Soul & MVMNT: A Window Into the Past by Edem K. Garro of Edem Soul Music, conjures up the sounds, emotions, and lived experiences of African peoples transported to the Americas by slave traders for the sole purpose of being bought and sold on a commodity market. The performance traces, through African drumming, singing, and dancing, the history of generations of African Americans, from dehumanization and oppression, to hope for a more equitable and inclusive future. 

African Body Soul & MVMNT was performed privately for members of Omaha’s Boys and Girls Clubs and Girl’s INC to celebrate Black History month in February of 2018, and again, during an event that was free and open to the public at Hifi House.

Edem K. Garro was born and raised on both the east coast and in the midwest. Edem sings in her native tongue, called ‘Ga,’ which originates from the Ga Tribe of Ghana, West Africa. Growing up, her parents made sure that she always understood and remembered where she came from. They not only taught her the language but the culture as well.  One thing Edem’s mother taught her, was that under no circumstances, was she ever to forget who she was, or where she came from.

Edem Soul Music has performed at venues in Omaha like Slowdown, the Kaneko, and as part of the Lincoln Calling Festival in 2017. She is a former fellow at the Union for Contemporary Art and believes that sound has the ability to communicate on an emotional level that enriches understanding and encourages compassion.

Photos: Alex Matzke