Kwesi Brown
February 20-26, 2006. ArtsLehigh and the Office of Multicultural Affairs will be presenting Kwesi Brown, African Dancer and Drummer to Lehigh and South Bethlehem. In addition to performances, classroom visits and workshops at Lehigh, Mr. Brown will perform for schools in Bethlehem’s South Side. An artist from Cape Coast, Ghana, Brown says he grew up torn between Christian religion and traditional beliefs of his ancestors. His grandmother was a fetish priestess who insisted that he participate in all ceremonial activities, and his father was a Methodist preacher who disapproved of his son’s participation in “heathen rituals.” His punishment for doing so often involved spending weekends at a Cape Coast Methodist mission house and studying the Bible. But the young boy’s fascination with traditional music continued, and eventually blossomed into a lifelong pursuit. Kwesi gained admission into the University College of Education in Winneba, where he graduated with diploma in music education. His formal training in Western music, combined with his passion for and expertise in traditional music, left him uniquely qualified to teach and coach other young musicians. He eventually moved to London, where he served as artistic director of the Osagyefo Theatre Company and continued to teach African music and dance in various schools throughout Europe. His intellectual journey led him to the United States, where he earned a master’s degree in ethnomusicology at Ohio’s Bowling Green State University. He went on to become involved in several community service programs, in which he worked with children to acquaint them with the transformative power of music and artistic expression. 
