Bernard Woma's Legacy- Saakumu

The great tree has fallen.  The work that Bernard Woma imparted to the world can not be understated.  His influence as a performer, educator, entrepreneur, family man and ambassador have been revered in every corner of the world.  In his life, he was referred to as a national treasure of Ghana.  In light of his death, we are charged with the quest to honor him and the light that he shared with the world.   We are calling on Bernard Woma's Army to help us preserve his legacy and bring the SAAKUMU Dance Troupe back to continue their mission of preserving and celebrating African culture and promoting positive social change through cultural arts education and performance.

We are raising money to help offset the overhead costs and upfront expenses including:

~Flights
~VISAS
~Artist Housing
~Travel and Food Expenses
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The SAAKUMU Dance Troupe of Ghana, West Africa is dedicated to introducing audiences to traditional and contemporary African dance and music. Saakumu means traditions, and as the name implies, the company derived its repertoire from a variety of both traditional and contemporary cultures with creativity. We are an artist-founded association driven by a passion for bringing innovative dances and world music to our audiences. In addition to collaborating with artists and presenters of all kinds, we are committed to building new audiences via performances.

The award winning Saakumu Dance Troupe is one of the leading traditional/contemporary dance and music group in Ghana, West Africa. Created by master musician, Bernard Woma, the group repertoire includes a range of spiritual, ceremonial, recreational genres to contemporary African dance forms. Their music and dance is joyful, expressive and highly participatory.

Based in Medie, Accra, the Saakumu Dance Troupe has performed at important governmental functions, national and international music and dance festivals throughout Ghana and West Africa. The SDA is the designated official performing group at this year’s National Festival of Art and Culture, (NAFAC) the largest cultural festival in Ghana.

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Saakumu and Slyboots have helped to expose an estimated 40,000 students to cultural arts programming EACH YEAR in 11 consecutive international tours since 2008!

A vast majority of these students are engaged while touring to colleges, universities, schools and clubs across the US including:

Indiana University – Bloomington, IN

SUNY Fredonia- Fredonia, NY

University of Buffalo – Buffalo, NY

Goddard College – Plainfield, VT

Canisius College- Buffalo, NY

SUNY Buffalo- Buffalo, NY

Villa Maria College- Buffalo, NY

Daemen College- Buffalo, NY

University at Tennessee – Knoxville, TN

NYU- Manhattan, NY

Hamlin University- St Paul, MN

Gustavus Adolphus- St Peter, MN

Concordia College- Moorehead, MN

Alfred University- Alfred, NY

Berklee College of Music- Boston, MA

Colorado State University – Fort Collins, CO

Fort Lewis College- Durango, CO

Adams State College- Alamosa, CO

North Carolina University

Akron University- Akron, OH

Babson College- Boston, MA

Northern Michigan University – Marquette, MI

RIT – Rochester, NY

Eastman School of Music- Rochester, NY

…and many more.


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Saakumu Dance Troupe's 12th USA tour will begin in early February 2019 and go through April 2019. We would love to visit your schools, theaters, and community venues to share our music and culture with your students, campus communities and audiences. As you plan your next year's art and cultural education activities, please let us know if you would like to have Saakumu Dance Troupe on your calendar either in the fall or in the winter/spring.

If you have already expressed interest in bringing us to your community, please let us know what dates you have in mind so we can begin planning our travel schedule. Bookings are made on a first-come-first-serve basis and February will be here before we know it!

Please share this information with colleagues, artists, friends and family!


Workshop and Performance Fees
Below are the daily rates for experiential workshops (in drumming, dancing, singing and more!) and performances. These rates are based on similar week long residencies we have done with other schools but we are negotiable with our fees and are able modify the schedule and programming to suit your needs and outcomes.

One day drumming, dance and songs workshops = $ 3,500. Plus a full performance $4,500. Plus 2 performances $5,000

Two days drumming, dance and songs workshops = $ 6,000. Plus a full performance $6,500. Plus 2 performances $7,000

Three days drumming, dance and songs workshops = $ 7,500. Plus a full performance $8, 500. Plus 2 performances $9,000

Four days drumming, dance and songs workshops = $ 10,000. Including a full performance no extra charge.

Five days drumming, dance and song workshops = $ 12,500. Including a full performance no extra charge.

*We do workshops and performances for elementary schools all the way through universities. We also work with community centers and other venues looking to showcase Ghanaian culture and art!*



Promotional SAAKUMU Video: https://youtu.be/pBblkaErddk

More information available at: www.SlybootsBuffalo.com