Papa Yansane was born and raised in Guinea, West Africa and brought to the United States when he was 10 years old by his biological father and stepmother. Papa, who is now 17 years old has not been able to return to Guinea to see his birth Mom, his half-siblings, and all his other family members in over 7 years due to the expense of travel costs. Recently Papa has lost his maternal Great grandma who helped raise him as well as his paternal Grandma with whom he was very close. His family desperately miss him, but because he is losing his ability to communicate fluently in his native language of Susu it is getting exceedingly tough to keep that connection alive.
Additionally, Papa who started learning the traditional art of Guinean drumming at age 4 needs to continue his training at the source to deepen his understanding of the cultural context of the music he is playing and bring his drumming skills to the next level. Since his arrival in the US Papa has trained under his father's tutelage including being a part of Oregon Folklife Network's prestigious Traditional Artist Apprenticeship Program on three separate occasions. This enabled Papa to establish a solid foundation in the fundamentals of Guinean traditional drumming and drum construction, but is not enough. Papa really wants to continue his training in Guinea, drumming alongside master drummers at cultural ceremonies and folkloric events, studying with master teachers, and working in his aunt and uncle’s performance group.
Another very important aspect of Papa returning to Guinea for a visit at this time is about his identity moving from boyhood to manhood as a Guinean immigrant growing up in the United States. The experience of immigration causes developmental challenges to teens that can lead to negative mental health outcomes, or can result in resiliency, psychological growth, and character building. Papa is at the crossroads of this intersection between positive and negative outcomes in identity development and would greatly benefit from reconnecting with the culture in which he has been raised and those that had a hand in raising him. Please support Papa’s trip to Guinea on June 2, 2021 by contributing to this fundraiser to offset travel costs, gifts for his family, and fees for drum training. Thank you so much for your time and energy; your support means so much and will really make a difference in Papa’s experience!