On Nov. 2, at the Hosanna House in Wilkinsburg, a beautiful celebration took place. The Eighth Annual Keepers of the Flame Awards Ceremony & Gala was held. The evening began with a VIP reception and silent auction, followed by the centerpiece of the evening, “Little Haiti on The Hill” featuring the Legacy Arts Dancers, poets and Kwame Azalius Ross, who is artist, musician, choreographer and Artistic Director and Founder of KAR Dance Project. As Legacy Arts’ first artist in residence, Ross brings a bevy of talent and historical knowledge to share with the Pittsburgh community through his choreography and music, and his ability to integrate his talents into a production memorializing Pittsburgh’s rich African history while incorporating music throughout the African Diaspora. Nana Malaya Rucker served as the mistress of ceremonies.
Rucker is a dancing diplomat, poet, choreographer, writer and director, and we must mention that she is the mom of actor and producer Lamman Rucker. She was charged with the welcome and libation. The performances included: Community Cause, The light on the Hill, Safe Spaces, The Market Place and Passing on the Legacy.
The conclusion of the evening was the Keepers of the Flame Awards. The awards were presented to Alice Pittrell, an artist whose interest in art began at 9 years of age. She could copy anything that was produced and sold everything she created. Pittrell has been involved with the Legacy Arts Project since its inception. Betty Lane, aka Mama Molimo Makasi or Mama Betty, was presented with the Keeper of the Flame Award as well. Her interest in African culture began in the ‘90s when she found herself interacting with a group of young men 14-16 years of age that lived in the community.
They knew little or nothing about Africa and she decided to introduce them to the drum and how it was used as a communication tool, as a result of this teaching experience she learned to play the African drum and became a part of the Legacy Arts Project. Mama Kadiatou Conte-Forte has taught African Dance and culture at Howard, George Washington and CMU as well as teaching youth at The Neighborhood Academy. She is a teaching artist at Propel Charter School and with Dilworth Academy’s after-school program under Balafon West African Drum Ensemble. Another Keeper of the Flame, K. Mensah Wali, is presently a partner in Journey Agents, an artist booking company, and the Artistic Director of Kente Arts Alliance in Pittsburgh, since 2007. He is also a member of Black Voices for Peace-Pittsburgh and serves on the boards of Sembene-The Film &Arts Festival and the Ujamaa Collective. Also honored, was Saihou Njie, fiber artist, teacher, photographer and designer/tailor. Njie was born in Gambia, West Africa. The final honor was presented to Tina Williams Brewer an internationally honored creator of story quilts. Brewer is known for her artistic exploration of African-American history and the personal experiences associated with it.
Erin Perry, executive director of the Legacy Arts Project says they honor the elder artisans as Keepers of the Flame, for their lifelong contributions to beautifying the world through art and sharing the blessings of their souls.
