Soothing sounds

Rhonda Simmons
Published: February 16, 2008

The sound of African drums resonated throughout Culpeper County Library Feb. 7 thanks to The Dreamtime Project.

Musicians Jim Gagnon and William "Whit" Whitten tapped, banged and beat on drums producing thunderous soulful melodies.

The drumming duo entertained about 120 people who gathered in the meeting room for the Black History program sponsored by the Minority Task Force. This year's theme was "Generations of Change, a Cultural Celebration that Spans Time."

Between songs, Whitten shared some history about the various African instruments he uses during his performances.

The musicians began with a drum call using a djembe (pronounced jembay).

"(This let's) people know in this room and in other parts of the building that something special is going on in here," Whitten explained to the captivated audience.

In their vast collection of drums, Whitten and Gagnon played the talking drums, junjun and log drums.

But not all of the instruments originated from Africa.

Gagnon played the didgeridoo, an Australian-inspired wind instrument, and a Native American flute.

"I believe that when people came here from Africa sometimes they may have met some Native American people that were here," Gagnon said, "And they shared a very strong connection because they were in tune with the earth and the earth's medicine and spirit. And they just really had a lot in common."

Prior to the drummers, Antioch Baptist Church Pastor Milton L. Branch Sr. led the crowd in prayer.

"Thank you for allowing all of God's children to come together again where we can celebrate one another," he said, bowing his head.

Minority Task Force President Mabel Crawford echoed the words of the reverend.

"Prayer has been a major thing during our generation and even in this generation," she said. "Prayer has been a part of our lives and I think it's something that we need even more today than years ago."

During the program, Karl Moody quizzed the crowd with black history trivia. The winners received cultural prizes including a handbag decorated with pictures of 18 local historical black churches.

The program also included three local choirs.

Good Hope Baptist Church, of Norman, performed three spiritual hymns and Antioch Baptist Church's Youth Choir sang two songs.

The celebration ended with the Roebuck Family of Madison leading the crowd in "Lift Every Voice," a song adopted by the NAACP as the "Black National Anthem."

Rhonda Simmons can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 125 or .