Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy Celebrates 21!

The Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy was started in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, in the spring of 1989 as a six-week series of free, modern dance classes.This year it celebrates 21 years of contribution to the community.

‘Ifetayo’ is a Yoruba African word which means “love brings happiness” and that is exactly what Jamaica-born, Brooklyn native and professional dancer, Kwa-yera Archer-Cunningham and her team hafve done for the community they serve.

As founder and chief Executive officer of Ifetayo, Sister Kwayera says she is pleased “to be able to build with not just a dance class but over two decades later to be able to have international cultural exchange rites of passage programmes, educational programmes, two to one matching programmes for college savings to help get young people into college.”

Sister Kwayera travels to Africa regularly with her students and explains that, “...as part of the Marcus Garvey Programme, the Sankofa International Studies allows us to take young people to exchange with other young people in places like South Africa, and Ghana."

A group recently returned from Senegal and Ethiopia. She beamed as she spoke of an upcoming conference for Bahia, Brazil in 2012. “We are doing a major youth development conference in Brazil, with other organizations throughout the world looking at African centered youth development and how it can really grow our communities.”

During her address to those gathered at the 21-year celebrations held at Brooklyn’s Children’s Museum in mid November, Sister Kwayera made an appeal for support.

“We need the community to support us even if it’s $10 or $20 per year. We need it in order to be self-sustainable.” She said Ifetayo was currently serving 2, 000 children per year during school and after school. “We go into 20 schools during the day, we take our rites of passage programme in there, it becomes integrated into the school curriculum, and we also take our arts programme into the schools as well, working in partnership with the administrators, parents, teachers and students.”

represents creativity

Finally she said, “We chose to host our celebrations at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum because it represents creativity and represents the natural elements that we are so very concerned about as that really represents our people.”

Echoing Sister Kwayera appeal and endorsing Ifetayo was Dr Una S. T. Clarke, a former educator and New York City Council-member, the first Jamaican woman to hold that position.

She pointed out that “Ifetayo is probably one of the longest-lasting cultural institutions in central Brooklyn, though it has moved from many venues throughout the entire borough of Brooklyn. It has remained true to its mission of embracing the African culture, in particular, which is heart warming, so that the children learn to love themselves through the culture, and that makes them remain positive.” For more information about Ifetayo visit their website at www.ifetayo.org.

Children’s Museum in mid November, Sister Kwayera made an appeal for support.

“We need the community to support us even if it’s $10 or $20 per year. We need it in order to be self-sustainable.” She said Ifetayo was currently serving 2, 000 children per year during school and after school. “We go into 20 schools during the day, we take our rites of passage programme in there, it becomes integrated into the school curriculum, and we also take our arts programme into the schools as well, working in partnership with the administrators, parents, teachers and students.”

represents creativity

Finally she said, “We chose to host our celebrations at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum because it represents creativity and represents the natural elements that we are so very concerned about as that really represents our people.”

Echoing Sister Kwayera appeal and endorsing Ifetayo was Dr Una S. T. Clarke, a former educator and New York City Council-member, the first Jamaican woman to hold that position.

She pointed out that “Ifetayo is probably one of the longest-lasting cultural institutions in central Brooklyn, though it has moved from many venues throughout the entire borough of Brooklyn. It has remained true to its mission of embracing the African culture, in particular, which is heart warming, so that the children learn to love themselves through the culture, and that makes them remain positive.” For more information about Ifetayo visit their website at www.ifetayo.org.

Original source