The activity that was most fun was learning about how African drums are made. My drum professor took the class on a small field trip to a village where they make African drums from the ground up. I was fascinated with the process from the carving of the wood, to applying the animal skin, to the stitching. The most amazing thing that I learned was how each drum has its own pitch that will determine if the drum is a boy or girl. A low pitch is a boy and a high pitch is a girl. Here is a video of live drumming in Accra:
The book that I'm reading this week is called "Digging The Africanist Presence In American Performance." This book talks about the African connection in the American history of dance. Although I've only read the first chapter, it's amazing to know how African dance has influenced all dance styles around the world.
No games or sports for me this week. Nailah has just started playing soccer. I can't wait to see how she improves over time.
This week, Nailah and I are returning back to the U.S. to pay our respects to my grandmother (Nailah's great-grandmother) who passed away last week. This is the hardest thing that we've had to deal with while being so far away, but we know she is in a better place and will continue to protect and watch over us from the heavens above.
