February is black history month, so it’s the perfect time to watch the film “Throw Down Your Heart.”
Bela Fleck, one of the world’s greatest banjo players, decided to bring the banjo back to Africa, which is where it originated. Throw Down Your Heart documents this journey.
The banjo likely evolved from the akonting, a hide-covered gourd with three strings attached to a pole, brought by enslaved Africans to America. “Throw down your heart” is a translation of the Kiswahili word “Bagamoyo,” the name of the port in Tanzania where natives, captured inland, were loaded onto ships as chattel. Legend has it, that this was the last glimpse of the African soil slaves would get before being abducted and shipped across the Indian ocean to the Americas, Egypt or some other shores by Swahili slave traders in the 19th century. The name is reflecting the desperation and despair of the ‘broken hearted’ captives.
The music and scenes of Africa are uplifting and will keep you warm during these cold February days.
Not interested in today’s activities, try the Take a Break Pinterest Board.
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