Sankofa will demonstrate “The Legacy of Black Brilliance” to students and staff in the large auditorium Friday, Feb. 27 during a pre-show performance.
Full performances will be the large auditorium Friday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 28 at 1 p.m. Pre-shows, which include a sampling of the full Sankofa performance, begin at 6 p.m. and 12 p.m. respectively.
Sankofa began at the high school in 1998 as a Black History Month kickoff assembly. It gained the name Sankofa, a Twi word from the Akan Tribe of Ghana, the following year. The show includes student singing, dancing, slam poetry and other performing arts and delivers messages each year about a unique theme.
The word “Sankofa” originated in Ghana and means “it’s not taboo to go back and fetch what you forgot.” According to Stockton University, the term is taken from an Akan proverb that encourages “learning from the past to inform the future, reaching back to move forward, and lifting as we climb.”
This year’s Sankofa theme will highlight the impact of African-American history on culture, art and music. Tickets are available online or at the door for $10 each.
Reginald Tyus, merchandise manager and drama coach for Sankofa, said that this year’s theme “looks at the past examples of Black brilliance throughout history and how they show up today throughout music, dance and art.”
Junior Hailey Seifert said she is looking forward to the performance. “I have a lot of fun at Sankofa. It’s so interesting and engaging to see. [It’s] not like a real play, but like little mini plays that portray the Black experience,” she said.
Senior Nia Guy, who dances in this year’s program, said that the theme embraces the true meaning of the term. “We are doing what ‘Sankofa’ means. We are bringing the past into the future. We need more of that nowadays,” she said.
Guy said that Sankofa participants have had different experiences based on their role in the show. “It hasn’t been too hard for me,” she said. “Personally I know it can be a bit hectic for other people who have stuff going on, but I have a pretty free schedule. Next week is tech week, so that’s gonna get real hectic, but nothing too crazy. It’s manageable.” Tech week is the week before a performance, when technical elements such as lights, costumes and sound are added and rehearsed.
Sankofa rehearsals are held once a week on varying days for the dance, drama, singing and production groups.
Guy said that those different elements contribute to making Sankofa whole. “I think the acting is really going to tell the story. There’s also little elements of dancing and singing and everything like that tied in, but I think the acting is, of course, going to really convey the story to everyone,” she said.
Guy said that participating in Sankofa means coming together as one. “Since we use all these talents, it’s like everybody gets to give a piece of what they have to offer,” she said.
Sankofa will have an additional performance Feb. 24 during halftime of the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks game at the Rocket Arena. The performance, similar to a pre-show, will feature snippets of the full Sankofa production. Tickets are available at https://cavaliers.group/Sankofa.
Tyus said that Sankofa is more than just a show. “Sankofa is a family,” he said, “and my goal is to make the kids comfortable enough to be here every day, to feel like they have someplace to go when they don’t have nowhere to go.”
