Meet Us - Shidaa African Culture Project

Jordan Mensah

Jordan started traditional African Drumming at age 9 in Ghana. He grew up in Bukom, a suburb of Accra, a community where drum and dance played an integral part of all community activities. He is a Juried Artist listed with the Vermont Arts Council, and has organized Onion River Arts and Community Connections sponsored residencies in elementary and high schools across Vermont, as well as workshops for adult community groups in Adamant, Barre and Plainfield. He is a resource person on African Traditional studies.

Prosper Kuardio

Prosper is from La Côte D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast). A pioneering member of the Koteba National Dance Ensemble of La Cote D'Ivoire, he has performed all over the world. He has collaborated with Jeh Kulu drum/dance company. He is enthusiastic about teaching others African culture through dance and drums.

Julie Hunter

Julie, a native of Vermont, studied ethnomusicology at Brown University and completed her Ph.D. in 2011 with a specialization in the music of Africa. She has studied a variety of West African drum and dance repertoire since 2001 and has performed with the Shidaa African Culture Project, Dromonaa Drum and Dance Group in Accra, Ghana, and Brown University’s Ghanaian Drumming and Dancing Ensemble. She has had the opportunity to work with expert performers including Martin Obeng, Gyane-Kwame Ahima, Daniel Atiso, Stephen Atiso, and Manavi Deku. Julie’s research focuses on the rise of women’s drumming in Africa, performance of gender in Ewe traditions, and use of music as a tool for community change. She is a lecturer of music at Boston College in Chestnut Hill, MA.