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Queen Ann Nzinga's Center
Welcome to our Center!
Principal purposes and services of our organization
Promotes
positive youth development among children of color and other
children in the Harford area and beyond, through a comprehensive,
multi-cultural, multi-generational program of structured arts and
humanities activities (“Nzinga’s Watoto”); fosters a multi-cultural
society and deepens public understanding of the history and cultural
achievements of Africa and the African Diaspora through educational
programs and public performances at important Connecticut venues by
the “Nzinga’s Daughters” performing ensemble and associated
professional artists.
History
The Queen Ann
Nzinga Center, specializing in cultural education and social change,
is named for an exemplary 15th century
African queen who, among many other achievements, prevented any of
her subjects from being sold into slavery. The Center,
an umbrella organization for a variety of initiatives, was formed in
2004, but is the outgrowth of a 16-year-old grassroots
initiative. The grassroots initiative has been the labor-of-love of
two artists, Gail Williams and Dayna Snell, who are mother and
daughter and come from a long-established Plainville family. In
1990, they enlisted their friends and began the first of two
distinct but related programs, “Nzinga’s Watoto” and “Nzinga’s
Daughters”, a semi-professional performing ensemble. In 2003, soon
after establishing a Board of Directors, the initiative was accepted
as an affiliated program by JDPP, Inc., a respected
Hartford non-profit arts organization which mentors emerging
multi-cultural arts organizations. JDPP, Inc. acts as the fiduciary
for the Queen Ann Nzinga Center. In April 2008 Queen Ann Nzinga
Center became incorporated and the organization is in the
process of becoming its own non-profit organization. Over the years
the Center has received supportive grants, through
JDPP, Inc., from the Greater Hartford Arts Council, the Community
Foundation of Greater New Britain, the Main Street
Foundation, Evelyn Preston Memorial Fund and American Savings Bank
Foundation. The Center’s office is in Plainville.
It conducts programs throughout the greater Hartford area.
Mission
and Goals
1) The Center
promotes positive youth development among children of color and
other children (“Nzinga’s Watoto”) in the
greater Hartford area, by
mobilizing the community to nurture its children through a
comprehensive, long term, multicultural,
multi-generational program
of structured arts and humanities activities. It uses an Afrocentric
model of teaching and the
principles of Kwanzaa to foster school
success, life skills, positive self-esteem, character development,
artistic skills, and appreciation of cultural heritage. The success
of the program is measured by the success of the children who
participate.
2) The Center fosters a multicultural society and deepens public
understanding of the history and cultural achievements of
Africa and
the African Diaspora (in North, Central and South America and the
Caribbean), through educational programs and
public performances at
important Connecticut venues by the “Nzinga’s Daughters” performing
ensemble and associated professional artists.
Current Programs and Activities
1) “Nzinga’s
Watoto” (“Watoto” means “children” in Swahili), previously known as
the “Personal Enrichment Program”, is an educational program for
young people (ages 5-19) that meets throughout the school year for
three hours on Saturday
afternoons at Redeemer’s AME Zion Church in
Plainville. Approximately 20 young people at a time – nearly 300 so
far – learn
a wide variety of skills and demonstrate their
accomplishments through performances for the community. Parents are
actively involved and many community volunteers mentor the children;
special guests are invited as role models, and field trips
introduce
the children to community resources. Older students and graduates
act as assistant teachers and volunteers. The program is best known
for a big annual public celebration of Kwanzaa at the Bushnell in
late December at which both the
children and professional artists
perform.
2) “Nzinga’s Daughters” is a women’s performing ensemble of 6-10
professionals and trained semi-professionals. The
ensemble’s varied
programs of African, Caribbean and African-American music, dance,
storytelling and poetry have been
presented more than 100 times over
the past decade at community events, and at major arts and cultural
Institutions around Connecticut (e.g. in July 2004 as part of “Women
and their Music” at the Mark Twain House). The Underground Railway
is a
favorite focus. “Nzinga’s Daughters” now has a state-wide
reputation. It regularly sponsors a free summer concert,
“Music of
the African Diaspora”, funded by the Evelyn Preston fund. In 2003
and 2005 this very successful concert was held
at the Bushnell.
Members of the ensemble also teach and mentor the “Watoto”.
Population
Served
Participants in “Nzinga’s Watoto”
and “P.R.I.D.E.” are children and young people ages 5-19 from the
greater Hartford area.
The co-artistic directors are Plainville
natives; the current location of the program is a Plainville church
that is over 100 years
old. Local roots are deep. Recruitment
concentrates on the African-American community in Hartford, W.
Hartford, New Britain, Plainville, Windsor and Bloomfield and
Bristol. A majority of participants are African-American; however
the program has also
had white and Latino students, and a
significant number of bi-racial children. Its philosophy is that all
children should learn to appreciate African and African-American
culture.
Audiences. The target audience for performances by both “Nzinga’s
Daughters” and students in the “Nzinga’s Watoto and other programs
is potentially the entire population of central Connecticut. Media
publicity is comprehensive and encourages everyone to attend.
Audiences for professional performances by “Nzinga’s Daughters”
reflect the overall demographics of the region. Audiences for
student performances, including the Kwanzaa Celebration, are 70-80%
African American. |
