Join us for Rhythms of Inheritance: A Community Drumming Circle, an immersive and participatory experience inspired by Steve R. Allen's exhibitions, Infinite Inheritance and O Jogo Bonito (The Beautiful Game).
The program will be facilitated by Dr. Ramatu Afegbua-Sabbatt and four guest drummers: Aisha Hajara Oghele Mahmud, Fatima Yola Ijele Sabbatt, Jahbri Black, and Origunwa Vincent Ifa Kayode Scott Jr. Together, they will guide participants through African drumming instruction, call-and-response, performance, and community participation.
Everyone is welcome to participate, whether you have a drum or not! If you have your own drum, we invite you to bring it and join the circle. Whether you are an experienced drummer or simply curious to learn, come be part of this shared experience of rhythm, movement, and community.
Dr. Ramatu Afegbua-Sabbatt brings extensive experience in African diasporic dance and drumming traditions. She has performed with leading cultural dance companies throughout Atlanta, including Extensions of Africa, African Dance Connections, Uhuru Dancers, Barefoot Ballet Manya, Giwayen Mata, and Ballethnic Dance Company's renowned Leopard's Tale.
Drawing inspiration from Allen's exploration of sacred geometry, Afrofuturism, ancestral knowledge, and Black cultural continuity, the program transforms rhythm into a shared language connecting past, present, and future.
Throughout the African diaspora, drumming has served as a form of communication, ceremony, celebration, resistance, and storytelling. Like Allen's paintings, rhythmic patterns rely on repetition, variation, and interconnected structures that build larger narratives. Participants will explore rhythm as both a mathematical system and a living cultural tradition, echoing the fractal patterns and symbolic visual language present throughout the exhibitions.
The program also embraces themes from O Jogo Bonito (The Beautiful Game) by considering rhythm as the heartbeat of teamwork, athletic movement, resilience, and collective achievement. Just as players move together on the field, participants contribute individual rhythms that become part of a unified composition.
Come experience the power of rhythm, community, and collective expression. No drum? No problem. Have a drum? Bring it! We invite everyone to join us in the circle.