Beats for Education will be held Friday, Sept. 30, 6 p.m.-1 a.m., at Badger Bowl, 506 E. Badger Road. This is an annual community celebration of West African and Brazilian drum and dance arts, and a fundraiser for Fansiga Village School in Guinea, West Africa. The high-energy event showcases professional and community performances of traditional and contemporary music and dance from West Africa and Brazil, with performances by Kikeh Mato Afro-Pop, the Handphibians, Limanya Drum and Dance Ensemble, Drum Power youth performers, Tani Diakite, Atimevu, and other Madison-area groups.
Families are welcome. There is a $10 suggested minimum donation, free for children 12 and younger. There will also be a silent auction of local art, crafts, goods, and services.
Fansiga Village School is located in rural Guinea where transportation and basic needs are hard to meet. Past Beats for Education proceeds have paid for supplies including solar lights, uniforms, school books, and building repairs. The fundraiser is organized by Mandjou Mara and Maya Kadakia of Wongai Africa LLC, which includes Kikeh Mato Afro-Pop, Limanya Drum and Dance Ensemble, and community drum and dance classes. Mandjou Mara is a master drummer and griot from Guinea who now lives and teaches in Madison. Mara’s mother is from Fansiga Village.
