Back by popular demand, Rhythms of Africa held a pair of spectacular shows in March at the Cultural Center located in Miramar, Florida. Launched by the Embrace Music Foundation, the Rhythms of Africa presentations were dedicated to the restoration, preservation, and fortification where the impact of music from around the world is concerned. In that spirit, through education, appreciation, and performance Rhythms of Africa seeks to enhance the role and impact of music in the development of both children and families. Put another way, the program of Rhythms of Africa aims to challenge children and students of music to not only recognize, but also to channel and direct their creativity.
In this being the 11th presentation of Rhythms of Africa, the theme of this year’s installment was called “Strength of a Woman”—in alignment with March being Women’s Month. The shows boasted a top-notch list of musicians, performers, and special guests that included: Neki Mohan (Master of Ceremonies); Kamila McDonald (Narrator); Willie Stewart (Director Drums & Percussions); Selena Serrano (Lead vocals & Harmonies); Shanna Lee (Lead vocals & harmonies); Kailani Belle Alcock (vocalist); Andrene Bonner (Strategic leader and coach); Jesse Jones (Alto sax/vocals); Maria Mendez (Lead vocals); Murphy Prince (Lead vocals); Nanyamka Graham (Master Percussion Section Leader); Junior Jazz (Lead vocals/Lead guitar); Nicole Yarling (Lead vocals/violin); Ronnie Smith (Lead vocals); Folayan Griffiths (Dancer); Milton “Prilly” Hamilton (with a special tribute to Michael “Ibo” Cooper); Miramar High School Students (Percussion Group); Wayne Messam (Miramar Mayor); Alexandra P. Davis (Miramar Vice Mayor); Maxwell B. Chambers (Miramar Commissioner); Etana (“The Strong One – reggae artist and singer); and Alison Hinds (Legendary and iconic Barbadian soca singer).
Willie Stewart – Director Drums & Percussions
The magnificent Willie Stewart is the Chairman and Co-Founder of Embrace Music Foundation, and was formerly the main drummer and percussionist for the iconic reggae band—Third World. Willie’s career has spanned over twenty years during which he has co-produced 13 albums with 5 of them receiving Grammy nominations.
Moreover, Mr. Stewart has achieved worldwide recognition after garnering the coveted NAACP Image award. And the list goes on and on where his accolades and achievements are concerned: the Diamond Award; the United Nations Peace Medal African American Achievers Award Nomination (2009); and the Knight Arts Challenge Award (2010); Jamaica Diaspora Honors 2012; and named the one of the 2012 South Florida “100 Most Accomplished Caribbean Americans”—just to name a few.
So too, Willie has collaborated with composers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, recorded and did a live performance with Stevie Wonder, Eddy Grant, Carlos Santana and Bob Marley, and shared billing with the legendary Quincy Jones, U-2, and Police.
Neki Mohan – Master of Ceremonies
Neki Mohan is a long-standing Broward County, Florida resident who serves as Vice President of Multicultural Business & Community Engagement for ‘Visit Lauderdale’. In addition, for 20 years she has been a mentor for the Women of Tomorrow program. What’s more, for Barry University Neki has been a member of the institution’s adjunct faculty, and also a member of the board at the Jack and Jill Early Childhood Education Center located in Fort Lauderdale.
Kamila McDonald – Narrator
As Founder and CEO of The WellFit Club—which is an online Wellness and Fitness Club that delivers a holistic approach to lifestyle change. Kamila is also wears a number of different hats in that she is a certified personal trainer, an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, as well as the author of a pair of popular wellness books, titled: “Wake Up And Live, A Mind-Body-Spirit Approach to Lifestyle Change,” and “Kamila’s Kitchen”—which is a cook book that boasts more than a 100 healthy recipes that are Jamaican-oriented. And more recently, Kamila successfully launched her ‘Kamila’s Kitchen’ restaurant endeavor. Perched atop Reggae Mountain at Skyline Levels in Jamaica’s vibrant capital city of Kingston, this marvelous restaurant offers scenic view of the city, while nourishing both one’s mind and body with delicious meals.
Kailani Belle Alcock
Kailani, who is 12 years old, is the supremely talented daughter of Grammy-nominated singer, Jah Cure, and Nutrition Health Coach and restauranteur, Kamila McDonald. Kailani definitely showed off her amazing vocal skills during her scintillating singing performance on the Rhythms of Africa stage—which drew a raucous applause from the jam-packed Miramar Cultural Center auditorium. Notably, Kailani has been further honing her vocal skills under the tutelage of Tessanne Chin, who runs a vocal school for children called the ‘Voice Box.’
Andrene Bonner
A strategic leader and coach for over three decades, Andrene Bonner is a proven force in education, arts administration, as well as non-profit management. More than that, she is also a playwright, praise poet, and renowned writer of a literacy fiction series and five non-fiction books on the topic of student resilience.
DWisdom
Born and raised in Jamaica, DWisdom rose to fame in the year 1991 by way of her hit song “My First Real Love”. A backup singer for Beres Hammond, DWisdom garnered the Best New Artist Award at the JAMI Awards. So too, she did background for top-name musicians, such as Luciano and Dennis Brown. Moreover, she has toured alongside Buju Banton as one of his background singers and also composed and did songwriting for Shaggy’s hit song ‘Hot Shot’. Forthcoming releases from DWisdom include a new ringtone for ‘My First Real Love’, as well as a pre-release of a new single. Apart from her success as a musician, DWisdom is also a talented designer of fashion—who has created outfits for Beres Hammond’s Harmony House background singers.
Alison Hinds – Barbadian Soca Queen
Originally from England, Alison Hinds resided in the world-renowned city of London until age 11, after which she relocated to the sun-drenched Caribbean Island of Barbados to live with her mother. Soon thereafter, Alison developed a passionate love for Caribbean music genres like calypso, soca and reggae. And so, at the age of 17, she became a member of the famed group ‘Square One’ as one of the band’s lead vocalists. Square One had a number of albums, while winning numerous awards behind song hits such as ‘Ragamuffin’, ‘Aye Aye Aye’, and the infectious—‘Faluma’. As a soca song, ‘Faluma’ is without a doubt legendary and, as a testament the song topped the music charts in a number of countries around the world including many in Central America, such as Guatemala for 46 weeks.
In the year 2005, Alison Hinds launched her very own band and, with that, released her inaugural solo album, titled: ‘Soca Queen’ in 2007. ‘Soca Queen’ was surely a top album in Alison’s enviable vault of recordings in that it espoused her endearing message of love and upliftment for one and all—while also serving as a creative celebration for her legions of fans all over the globe.
Perhaps her most widely known and most successful song hit on an international level was ‘Roll It Gal’, a tune which, in 2006, reached # 52 on the Billboard R&B charts. Not only that, but the song was also featured in Hollywood productions, for example, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’. And the song, ‘Togetherness’, represented yet another Soca anthem on the album.
Etana – (The Strong One)
Born under the name Shauna McKenzie, Etana (which means “The Strong One” in the Swahili language) early on migrated to the USA in pursuit of a pop music career. However, that was only for a brief period as Etana chose to return to her roots in Jamaica. She is certainly a very talented singer, songwriter, and humanitarian who has two Grammy Awards nominations under her belt. And although Etana began her career as a reggae-focused artist, she has branched out into other genres like folk, soul, and jazz. As such, Etana has gained respect not only in her native Jamaica, but also all around the world. It is worthy of note, that she has also been inspired by some iconic and legendary singers, such as Marcia Griffiths, Etta James, and Miriam Makeba.
At the 61st Annual Grammy Awards in 2018, Etana was nominated for the Best Reggae Album category, and that was the first occasion in over 20 years that a woman received a nomination in that song category. A year later in 2019, Etana released an 8-track album effort, titled: ‘Dimensions’ which, in 2020, was followed by a full-length album. And Etana’s most recent album, ‘Pamoja’—which was released in 2021—earned Grammy Nomination number two for her.
The remarkable journey of Rhythms of Africa began more than a decade ago with its presentation inception in February 2010. In support of the Embrace Music Foundation, the City of Miramar did a fantastic job in promoting this year’s Rhythms of Africa series—which celebrated the deep roots of our community’s showcase of the rich tradition of not only the cultures of Africa and the Caribbean, but also their undeniable influence on the wider world in so many respects. And of course, Rhythms of Africa 2024 March Women’s Month show presentations fittingly paid homage to the female icons from the Caribbean and beyond. Indeed, their extraordinary contributions have not only shaped the music industry, but also have been integral to shaping our societies as well.
Photos by Nick Ford
