KanKouran’s mission is to present, preserve, and promote traditional West African culture by providing quality entertainment and educational programs to local and national audiences to facilitate cross-cultural enrichment.
What is our Vision? Our immediate future is devoted to establishing the KanKouran Cultural Center. It will serve as KanKouran’s permanent home, where we will offer weekly community dance and drum classes for children, teens, and adults. We will also offer programs for seniors, summer programs, and after-school activities. Patrons and visitors alike will have the opportunity to learn about African culture through studying dance, music, drum making, language, drama, history, and culinary and textile arts. The KanKouran Cultural Center will be nationally and internationally known as the premier center for learning the history, impact, and techniques of African Dance.
KanKouran also envisions expanding the dance company by developing a touring group that will be available for extended national and international engagements. Expansion efforts will also include establishing satellite studios in the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, thus enabling more convenient access to those persons in outlying areas who would like to participate in the many activities and experiences KanKouran offers to the community.
On behalf of KanKouran’s Executive Artistic Director, Assane Konte, and the entire KanKouran organization, we would like to extend a sincere thank you and offer our deepest gratitude to the International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD), The Mellon Foundation, and the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities for your continued support of our mission, programs, and activities.
