The History of Kuumba Storytellers of Georgia
In 1995, several local Atlanta storytellers decided to form an affiliate of the National Association of Black Storytellers right here in Atlanta after attending the National Festival for several years.
Kuumba Storytellers of Georgia was born. Kuumba means “Creativity” in Swahili. The sixth day of Kwanzaa celebrates Kuumba, the ability we all have to put our imaginations to work, and use our creative energies and talents to build and maintain a strong and vibrant community.
Kuumba Storytellers of Georgia is a group of professional storytellers who provide programs in schools, universities, festivals, museums, corporate and community events, and churches. Our storytelling classes and workshops are available to teachers and anyone who would like to learn more about storytelling. We offer educational programs that encourage children to read and help improve language skills through oral communication and self-expression. We also offer professional development workshops on how to incorporate storytelling into your business.
The mission of Kuumba Storytellers of Georgia is threefold:
- To promote and perpetuate the educational, historical, and social value of the African-American oral tradition.
- To provide information for members with an interest in the culture and history of African and African-American people through the practice, study and teaching of storytelling and aid in the growth and development of our members.
- To serve as an effective resource for the community in both educational and performance setting.
Come discover storytelling with Kuumba Storytellers of Georgia.
Come out and Visit. Sneak a Peek… “JAMBO means Hello in Swahili ” Jambo come take a visit with me.. you are invited to our Kuumba Meetings every 2nd Saturday of the month at the West End Library in Atlanta. We meet from 3:00 until 5:00pm. If you enjoy great stories, you will be able to hear not only one but several. We share stories from A-Z. You may have an opportunity to hear the sound of a djembe African drum or maybe the A-GO-GO bells. You may even see how the African Cowtail switch is used with storytelling or even see other interesting artifacts. At times we used different props to enhance our stories like puppets (small) and (large), and you may be asked to play a character in the story. All of this happens at the Kuumba Storytelling Meetings. We tell a great story at each meeting. We share stories for Children and Adults. You will have an opportunity to meet the Kuumba Tattletales, our Youth Storytellers as they share a story. Come… Join us so that you will see who we are and what we do. We are always out in the Community telling great stories, and you can become a great storyteller to. I hope to see you soon…ask for me so that I can show you around, Sista LuvDrop, the Kuumba Storyteller dropping one drop of love for reading and enjoying a great story..one drop at a time. Many thanks …. Kuumba Storyteller and Vice President – Gwendolyn J. Napier. You may contact us.
kuumbastorytellers.org