Brooklyn Arts Council will open the summer season of the yearlong initiative, Black Brooklyn Renaissance, with the Black Brooklyn Drum Call, a FREE event on Saturday, June 5, 2010 from 2 to 5:30pm.  The drum call will be a gathering of Brooklyn musicians practicing the art of drumming from many African, Afro-Caribbean, African American and Hispanic diasporic communities including Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ghana, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica and Puerto Rico. The artists will take over Grand Army Plaza, performing and uniting ten distinct styles of drumming, demonstrating the role drums have played in the history of various cultures as well as the complexity of African drumming practiced in the borough.

The drum call will have drumming demos and drum-making workshops followed by a symposium on the history of African drumming in Brooklyn moderated by Neil Clarke who has played with the likes of Harry Belafonte and Miriam Mekeba. 

Typically a means of announcement or a call to action in many African cultures, this Drum Call signifies the commencement of a summer series of Brooklyn festivals celebrating African diaspora, such as the West Indian American Labor Day Carnival. 

This free event is intended to be an interactive community event so they are encouraging the public to bring their drums and have a good time!

For more information on the Brooklyn Arts council, the Black Brooklyn Drum Call or to see the full summer calendar for Black Brooklyn Renaissance, please click here.