In Honor of Carmen – The Bucknell Dance Program is zooming in Sherone Price to teach an African dance class with drummer Baba Khalil Saleem from 5:30-7:00 on Sunday, August 30. The link to zoom in is below if you would like to join in, watch, listen, move… to honor the Griot’s 10th anniversary and Carmen’s life & legacy.
ZOOM link for Sunday at 5:30 – https://bucknell.zoom.us/j/94556432857
The Griot Institute wishes to extend extreme gratitude to the Dance Program for organizing this event and opening the invitation!
Homecoming Weekend – Soul in Motion, a west African style drumming and dance group, will join us virtually for a viewing and Meet the Artists session and conversation about topics impacting our lives today. As many of you know, the Griot Institute holds an annual Opening event to celebrate the new academic year and provide information about many diverse events being planned across campus. With the current restrictions on gatherings in place, this year’s event will be virtual and will be in conjunction with Homecoming Weekend. We enthusiastically invite students, staff, faculty, community and alumni to gather online, learn more about the 10 year anniversary of the Griot Institute and listen in on a special conversation with the performers from Soul in Motion African Dance and Drum Ensemble addressing current events and transformation. More information is forthcoming.
Race Against Racism Virtual 5K – The Griot Institute is proud to support the first-ever Bucknell University Race Against Racism Virtual 5K during #BucknellHomecoming 2020. This event encourages all Bucknellians to sign up to run, walk, roll or self-propel their favorite 5K route during the weekend of Homecoming (9/11-13), make a gift to the Anti-Racism Fund or do both. Let’s rally the power of the Bucknell Community to reach our goal of 145 donors/participants in honor of the 145th anniversary of Black History at Bucknell. bit.ly/BURaceAgainstRacism5K
Introduction to West African Drumming Traditions – The Griot Institute is offering a unique educational experience to learn about various West African drumming traditions and their histories. This is a non-credit, completely free 8 session experience with instructor Hope Kopf. The sessions will be on Tuesdays from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM from September 22 to November 10. A limited number of people (5) will be allowed to participate in the Hildreth-Mirza Great Room with a drum; the instructor will be joining via Zoom on the large screen. Participating remotely via zoom is also an option, and modifications will be made so that having a drum is not necessary. To register and for more information, please email griot@bucknell.edu.
The Collective Liberation Residency – Bucknell’s Student Club Theatre Students of Color (TSOC) in collaboration with the Department of Theatre and Dance, The Griot Institute and The Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is hosting a residency for students. The Collective Liberation Residency will be taking place over Zoom on Saturdays throughout the semester. The residency is for, and will center around, students who identify as Black, Indigenous and/or people of color in order to create a space for art that is specifically about liberation (see the attachments below for more info). All gatherings will take place on Saturdays from 10:30 am – 1:30 pm. Dates include September 5, September 12 or 19, October 3, October 17, October 31, and November 7.
If you are interested in taking part in this residency, please contact Jeniah Martin at jkm029@bucknell.edu or Jillie Santos at jrs100@bucknell.edu with any questions.
Reading Groups – In preparation for the 2021 Griot Spring Series, Griot: Artists, Agitators and Visionaries, the Griot Institute is holding fall semester reading groups (September, October, and November) associated with the series. The reading groups will be accessible via Zoom and readings will be digitally accessible. Dates and details will be shared on the Message Center and the Griot Institute Events page.