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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - STAPLETON - A joyful celebration of the culture of Sierra Leone, a country on the coast of West Africa nestled between Liberia and Guinea, took place last Saturday afternoon at the Gerard Carter Community Center on Broad Street.
The free, two-hour event – featuring traditional dance, music, folk tales, and food – was organized by the United States Sierra Leonean Association, a local voluntary organization with 146 members. A group of excited children – a few as young as 5- and 6-years-old, impeccably attired in brightly colored African-print dresses and shirts – waited in the lobby before taking center stage as performers. Jessinta Jusu, 5, who attends PS 57, and Tity Scott, 6, a first-grader at the Staten Island Community Charter School – who live in the Park Hill section of Clifton – were performing the rhythmic Pekin Bata dance with three other young girls. "Auntie taught us, and we learned fast," said Tity, referring to Pamela Williams, who was on hand to supervise and encourage her young proteges. Moses Kamara, 9, in fourth-grade at PS 57, was resplendent in what he described as his "African dancing suit," made with stunning purple and white fabric and embellished with intricate white and gold embroidery.
http://www.silive.com/northshore/index.ssf/2011/12/a_variety_show_staged_by_the_u.html
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