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Sankofa
Art, Food, Music & Community Storytelling
Sankofa in the Akan language of the Ashanti people of Ghana literally translates to “go back and retrieve.” Sometimes we need to repatriate or retrace our steps and re-immerse ourselves in our history. Join host Edwin Owusu for a performance and storytelling event, where we will explore our past to inform our future as a community.
Come for an hour or stay for the whole afternoon. Folks are encouraged to explore our lineup below and come to any portion of the afternoon that piques their interest.
Saturday, February 4th, 2023
12 pm at Hazen Union Highschool
FREE Event, Food for purchase
For Highschool Ages and All Adults
| Time | Artist | Talent |
|---|---|---|
| 12:00pm - 12:15pm | Edwin Owusu | Introduction & Welcome |
| 12:15pm - 12:45pm | Jordan Farmer | Hip-Hop Artist |
| 12:45pm - 1:00pm | Marlon Hyde | VT Prof Of Color |
| 1:00pm - 1:30pm | Omega Jade | Comedy, Spoken Word & Hip-Hop |
| 1:30pm - 2:00pm | Juni The Wiccan | Hip-Hop |
| 2:00pm - 3:00pm | Intermission & Food Vendors | |
| 3:00pm - 3:45pm Panel Discussion | Saudia LaMont, Isaac Owusu, & Justin Morgan-Parmett | Congressional Rep, Vermont Racial Justice Alliance, UVM Dir of Forensics |
| 3:45pm - 4:00pm | King Mecca | Comedian |
| 4:00pm - 4:30pm | Abizo | Congolese Afrobeats Aritst |
| 4:30pm - 5:00pm | A2VT | Afrobeats Performers |
The Sankofa bird symbol is derived from an African proverb, “Se wo were fi na wosankofa a yenkyi",” which translates as “It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten.”
How does the past inform our relationships with the environment, our society, and each other? We seek to retrieve history’s most potent pieces and inject them into the now. Sankofa will bring together ideas and people from different walks of life so that we can remember not to forget the lessons of the past.
Event Host
Edwin Owusu, also known by his stage name SINNN, is a Graduate Teaching Assistant and Debate Coach at the University of Vermont who has been a mainstay in the local music scene since the early 2000s. Speaking truth to power is a mantra that he lives by and encourages all to do. Besides teaching public speaking, he is a Hip-Hop and Afrobeat artist and his music is a piece of the shareable moments from his journey that are disseminated to audiences through meticulous attention to detail. He has performed with many talents including local greats like 99 Neighbors, NorthAve Jax, David Grippo Funk Band & Myra Flynn as well as national acts like Wyclef Jean, Ledisi, and Jennifer Hartswick. Edwin aims at curating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion through the arts and harnessing that power to make structural change.
Artist Bios
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I am Abizo, Congolese rapper, singer and songwriter, based in the United State of America/vt. I’ve had a passion for music since I was a toddler. The older I got, the more it grew, pushing me toward things like singing in my brother’s group, and basically anything music related. I was exposed to all types of genres and one that stuck with me was rap. I didn’t grow up listening to rap music. My big brother introduced it to me to the music and the rap game. This was a game I intended to win and excel in. So, when I moved to the US in 2019, and I decided to start my solo career and continue my growth in music. I started learning, putting in hard work and seeking to curve my name into the global rap game. My inspiration come from various artists and genre. Being Congolese, Rumba from the likes of Papa Wemba, Lokwa Kanza, Koffi Olomide, etc. have special position in my inspiration. However, the biggest sources of my inspiration is Xxxtentancion. His lyrics, flow, beat, etc. just hit different to me. It inspires me to go above and beyond and give me motivation to be better at this craft 2 year from now. Regardless of the uncertainty of the next 2 years, I know I will be better than I am today. It is a struggle and I am willing to do everything I can to take on the struggle and excel.
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Representing Somalia, Tanzania and Burundi and currently living in Burlington, Vermont, A2VT synthesizes their native African musical and dance roots with Western pop and Hip Hop sensibilities. Their songs, performed in up to eight unique languages, reflect their journey from Africa to America, and celebrate the musical collision of two continents and the party that ensues!
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I am a mother, organizer, advocate, facilitator, equity consultant, and writer who lives in Morrisville. As a graduate of People’s Academy and parent to two students in our school district, I am deeply embedded in our community. I am committed to working closely with community partners in order to identify resources and build connections that strengthen our towns. It has been my honor to serve on multiple committees and boards, including Lamoille County Mental Health and the LSUU School Board Equity Committee. As a former early childhood educator, founder of the youth program “Developing D.I.I.V.A.S. (Dignity, Integrity, Independence, Virtue and Self-esteem), and a trained trainer of Prevent Child Abuse VT’s curricula, I have dedicated much of my professional work to supporting youth growth and development. I am a graduate of Cornell University’s- Diversity and Inclusion program, Leadership Lamoille, Bright Leadership Institute, Recovery Coach Academy, and hold a host of other certifications and skills that I incorporate into my transformative justice work. This spring I graduated from Emerge Vermont’s Signature Training Program, an intensive political training program for Democratic women.
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Marlon Hyde is the Sunday Weekend Edition Host and Vermont Public’s first news fellow. He reports on Arts, Culture, and Community stories. He joined Vermont Public in the spring of 2021 after graduating from Saint Michael’s College with a degree in media studies, journalism, and digital arts with a minor in Philosophy. He has been honored with a National Murrow Award for reporting on the 9/11 Remembrance Project alongside Jane Lindholm and Melody Bodette.
Originally from Brooklyn, New York, he resides in Burlington. He says he comes from a family of storytellers. His hobbies include cooking, playing basketball, and collecting vintage vinyl records.
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Justin Morgan-Parmett is the acting Director of Forensics at the Univesity of Vermont and a former union organizer. He is a former debater and assistant coach, having been the top speaker and champion of the East Region Championship Tournament,and has coached multiple novice and JV national Champions and has a real love for the LDU and its uniqueness throughout the debate universe. Justin received his Master’s Degree in Communication and coached debate at the University of South Carolina. He has also coached high school debate for the Minnesota Urban Debate League. He recently comes back to UVM after coaching debate and teaching at Western Washington University. Prior to that Justin was teaching at the University of Minnesota where he coordinated the public speaking program.
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Isaac Owusu is the Director of Community Engagement and Support with the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance. And is Certified through CommonGood of Vermont for Nonprofit Management. He was a leader in the successful effort to amend the Vermont constitution in 2022. Isaac has sat on the Health Equity Association Committee, the Public Safety Committee and various other legislative committees. Now being part of the first Black organized and BIPOC owned Community Center in Vermont, he runs a number of programs:
Annual Small Business Grants
Rapid Response, Immediate Request and Query Forms
Civic Engagements on a legislative level
Youth Programming
Professional Development
Isaac believes that it's not about how many times you fall down but what's important is how many times you’ve gotten up. With a wide array of experiences including financial literacy, trading stocks and cryptocurrency, entrepreneurship and even playing professional poker there is nothing more important than the work he is doing now. With the current climate of the world and systemic racism crippling our underserved communities in all social determinants of life, he aims to leave the world a better place for future generations.
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Mecca is a local performer who has been apart of a variety of comedy troupes in the local Burlington area. His brand is in your face and unique and he is able to appeal to all audiences. As an emcee, he also hosts events and gives artists of all genres an opportunity to hit the stage.
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Omega Jade made her start in 2016 with stand up comedy. Six months after her first open mic, she was asked to be in her first show. An all black line up with the name of Darker Side of Comedy, produced by Jade Marcotte. After the thrill of the first show, there was no stopping her grind. Eventually, that lead her to creating, producing and hosting her own show. A show that mixed two things she loved. Comedy and Hip Hop. It was called Rhyme & Unreason. The show involved stand up comedians doing their regular routines and MCs interpreting the routine with a freestyle verse. It was fresh, fun, and lasted a whole year. And then a pandemic happened. But while producing this show, she released her debut album Wounded Healer. She was given the opportunity to go on tour to open for Pace Won.
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Jordan Farmer, known professionally as Funky Diabetic, is an American rapper, producer, and performer. A native of Burlington, Vermont, he is one piece of the Hip Hop group Hella Fader and co-founder of C9C.
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I am an artist out of Massachusetts who moved to Vermont nine years ago and kinda just fell into the hip hop scene. I love being able to express what I need to through writing and if people can relate to what I say in their own experiences then I feel like I’m on the right path. I like to bring a different vibe to the scene. One that is just, simply poetic and here to bring smiles.
