Brooklyn-based Asase Yaa School of the Arts (for youth 3 -17) announces plans to broadcast "Rise Up! A Virtual Benefit Concert to #EndSars" on Thanksgiving Eve, Wednesday, November 25, 2020. Funds raised from the Mightycause.com benefit concert are being distributed by the Nigerian-based Agesin Jawe Ifa Herbal & Spiritual Center to grassroots community organizations who are leading the efforts to #EndSars and provide legal aid to victims of police brutality throughout the country. "Rise Up!" is being pre-taped as a one-hour taped concert, featuring African inspired music, dance, and words and will premiere on YouTube and Facebook Live at 8pm.
Zakiya Harris, the Artistic Director of the Asase Yaa School of the Arts, will serve as Host of "Rise Up!" Featured guest performers will include the Asase Yaa Youth Ensemble, Chief Sekou Aláje, internationally known Senior Priest of 256 Healing Arts and The Ogundáse Ifa Temple (based in East New York), who specializes in holistic mentoring and teaching to attain spiritual health, Brooklyn-based CHIEF AYANDA CLARKE, and THE FADARA GROUP MUSIC COLLECTIVE, is a noted Grammy Award-winning master and world-class percussionist, business leader and arts educator, and Weedie Braimah and the Hands of Time, who exemplifies forkloric West African music tradition, evolution, and soul, Ghanaian actress Luckie Lawson, Diallo Sumbry of the Adinkra Group, and Chief Baba Fakayode Faniyi Agbongbon Awo of Osogbo, Nigeria.
"We at Asase Yaa continue to challenge our students to be global citizens and use their artistic voice to speak out for social justice, unity and equality in our communities and around the world," explained Ms. Harris. "Our mission is to inspire solidarity with our brothers and sisters everywhere, and reinforce we are in this fight together. We Are One!"
