PRINTER'S NO. 2664
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
562
Session of
2019
INTRODUCED BY JOHNSON-HARRELL, HENNESSEY, FREEMAN, HILL-EVANS,
WILLIAMS, KINSEY, HOHENSTEIN, KORTZ, READSHAW, MILLARD,
SHUSTERMAN, HEFFLEY, MURT, RABB, JONES, FITZGERALD,
McCLINTON, LEE, BURGOS, CALTAGIRONE, SIMS AND SCHWEYER,
OCTOBER 15, 2019
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TOURISM AND RECREATIONAL DEVELOPMENT,
OCTOBER 15, 2019
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing October 18, 2019, as "Kùlú Mèlé Day" in
Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, The origins of Kùlú Mèlé began when Ghanaian drummer
Saka Acquaye came to Philadelphia during the 1950s and employed
the services of the late Baba Robert "Ibikunle" Crowder and
other prominent individuals, such as Arthur Hall and Ione Nash,
in the creation of several dance ensembles, drum ensembles and
albums; and
WHEREAS, Kùlú Mèlé was founded in 1969 by Crowder, making
Kùlú Mèlé the oldest continually performing African dance and
drum ensemble in the nation; and
WHEREAS, During the first five years of their formation, Kùlú
Mèlé grew in number after performing at community events, black
arts programs and black history tributes, as well as at a prison
with poet Sonia Sanchez and at a Young Workers Liberation League
Convention Rally for Youth Rights with activist Angela Davis;
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and
WHEREAS, Under Crowder, Kùlú Mèlé, which translates to "voice
of our ancestors," helped give birth to a cultural renaissance
in Philadelphia's African-American communities and became a
major part of the foundation of the Black Arts Movement of the
1960s and 1970s; and
WHEREAS, The group began embracing Afro-Cuban culture from
1982 to 1984 with the addition of Cuban percussionist Enrique
Adamo Admiral, who was influential on Kùlú Mèlé's artistic,
cultural and spiritual education; and
WHEREAS, By the 1990s, Dorothy Wilkie became the artistic
director of Kùlú Mèlé and started incorporating West-African
dance into the choreography; and
WHEREAS, The Philadelphia-based ensemble is dedicated to
serving the community by presenting and preserving the culture,
dance and music of Africa and its diaspora; and
WHEREAS, Kùlú Mèlé presents dance traditions rooted in
cultures and aesthetic values of the African diaspora and blends
West-African traditions with African-American creativity; and
WHEREAS, Kùlú Mèlé draws on the musical and movement genres
of Brazil, Haiti, Cuba, Nigeria, Guinea, Ghana and the
Senegambia region as well as African-American art forms,
including hip-hop, the bop, cha-cha and the slop; and
WHEREAS, Today, Kùlú Mèlé has more than 20 members and
includes a children's ensemble, Omo Kùlú Mèlé; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize October
18, 2019, as "Kùlú Mèlé Day" in Pennsylvania; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives honor the 50th
anniversary of the founding of Kùlú Mèlé.
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