Feeling the African rhythm

Forget violins and classical music: On Thursday night in Harrison College House, a different, more rhythmic type of orchestra took the stage. A group of 40 students gathered in Harrison's rooftop lounge to hear Jess Sabhi and his West African orchestra perform both original and traditional West African folk music. Sabhi's five-person act brought together acoustic guitar, rhythmic drumming, dancing and singing -- all standard elements of this style of music -- to produce a two-hour interactive show. Shortly after 9 p.m., Sabhi, originally from the Ivory Coast, and drummer Sawyer Togba began the performance with a drum duet. Sabhi played more than 25 songs -- some of which led right into the next without stopping -- while Princess Hawa, who also goes by Hawa Daisy Moore, danced with her two daughters. They performed a variety of Liberian dances that originated from the Aborigines. As a part of their show, the orchestra took time to incorporate audience members. Many were picked from the crowd to dance with Hawa, and audience members also enjoyed various West African delicacies before the show. College junior Jennifer DiTomasso was one of about 10 audience members selected to join the orchestra on stage for a dance. "I was embarrassed at first, but I felt like if I didn't do it I was disrespecting them. But once I got up there I was having a good time," DiTomasso said. Sabhi's orchestra has been together for about three years. Togba, who has been playing the drums since age seven, moved to Philadelphia from Liberia about three years ago and met Sabhi. He said he felt the group's music symbolizes many different emotions. "Nowhere is better than home," Togba said. "We still have our African tradition in us." Hawa is a native of the Var tribe in Liberia. She toured Africa with famed South African singer Mariam Makaeba before immigrating to the United States. Hawa said she sang backup for Makaeba and was able to perform some of her own original compositions. "The songs I write are about everyday life," Hawa said. Harrison House Dean Richard Haavisto, a graduate student in the Anthropology Department who has spent 10 years living in Africa, organized the event. Haavisto felt that bringing in Sabhi's orchestra would help students become more aware of the cultural diversity around them. "Part of the college house system is to expose students to new ideas," Haavisto said. Although the event did not draw a significant amount of people, Haavisto hopes that students will gradually become more involved. "It's like a new food," he said. Haavisto said this is just the first of many events that will be devoted to exploring African culture on campus. The Penn African Student Association is planning a series of talks to be held throughout the year and will hold an African film festival.