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Renowned ethnomusicologist J. H. Kwabena Nketia (left)<\/STRONG>, professor emeritus at the University of Ghana's International Centre for African Music & Dance, will speak to students and members of the public this morning about the interrelation of African expressive forms. The performance collaborations on Friday and Saturday evenings will open with kete drumming and comments from Nketia, who has more than 80 musical compositions and 200 scholarly publications to his credit and has been honoured with many national and international awards including the IMC-UNESCO Music Prize for Distinguished Service to Music. The prize is awarded by the International Music Council and the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization to individuals who have contributed to the enrichment of music, to understanding between peoples, and to international cooperation.<\/P>\n
\"The performance evenings will include many types of expressive culture \u2013 from many disciplines,\" said Akrong. \"We will have a little of everything, from the pounding rhythms of African drums to the grace of classical piano, sculpture and even a comic mime troupe.\"<\/P> Included in the event is a performance by the Skyjuice Band, which has been together since 2005. Its members all come from different backgrounds and together form an eclectic fusion of African, Caribbean, jazz, and reggae styles. There will also be readings of original poetry, visual arts displays including original paintings and photographs, and many performances from students' traditional music. PhD student Everett Igobwa, for example, will play the thum nyatiti, an eight-string lyre of the Luo people of Kenya.<\/P>![](\"http:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/photos\/20060929\/IAkrong.jpg\")
The performance collaboration by York faculty, students and members of the community, was conceived by Isaac Akrong (MA \u201803) (right)<\/STRONG>, a York PhD student in ethnomusicology and an alumnus of York\u2019s graduate program in dance. Akrong, an exceptional performer of traditional dance and drumming from Ghana, is founder of the African Dance Ensemble, one of many groups of York students and community members that will perform Friday and Saturday evenings. In addition to Akrong, two key people have been instrumental in bringing Humanity in Harmony to York, they include Everett Igobwa, a York PhD student in ethnomusicology, and York Professor Pablo Idahosa, director of the African Studies Program at York University <\/P>
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Left: Professor Pablo Idahosa, director of the African Studies Program at York, is one of the organizers of Humanity in Harmony<\/STRONG><\/P>