African Percussionist to Perform at Convocation Lecture

Published: March 27, 2009 | Read Time: 1 minutes

African percussionist Zinse Agginie will perform his presentation, “Connecting Cultures Through Rhythm,” on Tuesday, March 31, at 11:30 a.m. in the Auditorium Theatre as part of Southern Utah University's ongoing Convocations series. The event is free and open to the public. 

Agginie is a musician who works with groups of all ages in schools, communities and other institutions, using the folk arts of storytelling, dance, music and drama. 

Agginie conducts activities that include folk tales from Africa or elsewhere that participants may help script and dramatize in order to provide greater involvement and a sense of contribution. For his presentations and workshops, Agginie brings several drums and other percussion instruments from Africa to allow hands-on participation. Together, the group choreographs movements based on African dances. His philosophy is that “everyone has something to contribute,” be it a character in the story, playing an instrument or dancing. 

The 2008 Governor’s Award winner, Agginie was born and partly educated in Ghana. He later moved to England where he studied Psychiatric Nursing and remained in that profession for many years. He is also a diploma graduate of the London School of Printing where he majored in Graphic Arts Reproduction Technology. Agginie later moved to Arkansas where he has worked over the past decade as an Arts in Education artist. 

Agginie is also on the AIE roster of Utah and works there regularly as well as other states, such as Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Texas. He has written and produced plays at high schools and colleges and is also a member of The Gathering, the AR African American Living history program.

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