Sounds of African Music

Looking for a unique experience for the kids?  Come join us on Friday, August 9 at 10am—11am at the Betty Strong Encounter Center to meet drummer, performer, and educator Kofi Dennis. He believes in the concept of learning through play, so his interactive hands-on presentation of West African stories, poetry, and drumming will introduce instruments, music, rhythm and movements from West Africa. Some audience members may get a chance to play a drum. Admission is free.

Kofi Dennis earned a degree in Early Childhood Education at the Komenda Teaching College, University of Cape Coast in Ghana, West Africa, and a degree in Theater Arts (creative dramatics) from the School of Performing Arts at the University of Ghana. Kofi has entertained as a drummer, storyteller, singer, and dancer at venues such as the Kennedy Center, Discovery Theater, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and Wolf Trap’s Theater in the Woods and Filene Center. He has taught creative drama at the Montessori School of Northern Virginia in Annandale for the past 10 years and has been a Wolf Trap Teaching Artist since 1998. Kofi is Wolf Trap Master Teaching Artist with Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. He has been with Wolf Trap for almost 24 years.

Kofi Dennis is coming to Sioux City for the third time to feature as guest artist at the 9th Annual Siouxland African Festival (SA-fest 2024), which takes place this year at the Sioux City Convention Center on Saturday, August 10, 2024,  from 1pm-8pm. The event is a free festival of diversity and culture of some selected African Countries, especially, African countries represented in Siouxland.