Listen to and learn about traditional instruments of the Mandinka and the Mande-speaking people of West Africa with local musician Keenan Webster. Experience the kora (West African Mandinka harp), the Kamele Ngoni (West African Mande harp), the Balaphone (Mandinka xylophone), and more. Feel the beauty, fire and energy of this incredible music, and learn how these traditions gave birth to the banjo and influence blues, jazz and popular music of today. For all ages.
Keenan D. Webster was born in Nashville, Tennessee. His love for the blues, spirituals, and gospel and folk music of the South deepened in his youth - some of his elders are keepers of the spirituals and slave hymns that have been passed down for generations. As a teenager in Los Angeles, California, he was fascinated with African, Afro-Cuban, reggae and other music from the African diaspora. He was further inspired to learn about his roots, music, culture and spirituality with the Gullah, Mandika, Mende and Yorube people of West Africa. He started with drums of West Africa and Afro-Cuban roots. Then came Jazz and Blues, playing the saxophone and flute, and later the Native American flute. He has a deep appreciation for world music and has familiarized himself with classical music from India, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Keenan Webster has been on a mission to use music for world peace, healing, to fight against racism, and to bring all people together.