Master drumming performance at SCCC

SUSSEX — Master drummer Maxwell Kofi Donkor will give a drum performance to Sussex County Community College (SCCC) on Thursday, Feb. 5. Kofi is an award-winning sculptor and educator, but it is drumming that inspires him, school officials said. Kofi first learned his drumming skills at his grandfather’s knee, in his native village, Otumi, located in Ghana, West Africa. As a teen, he performed for a number of years with the Folklore Ensemble of Ghana. He became a master drummer before he graduated from the University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana, where his studies focused on his nation’s culture, sculpture, rural art and industry. His educational study, combined with his life-long exposure to the music and culture of his Asante village, gave him a uniquely comprehensive grasp of traditional African daily life. After graduating, Kofi begun teaching and showing his sculptures in Ghana and neighboring countries before exhibiting in London, where he was invited to represent Ghana in the U.S. He started teaching sculpture and drumming, both as a way to educate others and to preserve the culture of his homeland. He considers the preservation of the Ghanaian art and culture his mission, bringing the sights and sounds of its history and a way of life around the world, officials said. Since his U.S. arrival, Kofi has taught art to children and adults. The programs he has been involved in range from teaching special needs children to use clay, potter’s wheels, kilns, and woodworking tools, to elementary, secondary, and university level school programs in the areas of African dance, sculpture, traditional Adinkra hand printing, drumming, drummaking, and storytelling.. He has played with such nationally known drummers as Babatunde Olatunji, and his Drums of Passion, Mickey Hart, Sikiru and Camara. . The performance begins at 10:50 a.m. in college’s the Performing Arts Center. Tickets are free to SCCC students with a valid ID and are $7 for the community. School groups are free with advance reservations. Call 973-300-2232 for reservations and ticket information.