Continuing our celebration of Black History Month, the Middle and Lower School assemblies erupted this week with the sounds of African drums, tapping feet, and voices lifting in song and story. World-renowned master African percussionist, performer, and teaching artist Onye Onyemaechi visited the SD campus to share the participatory experience of an African village celebration with students and teachers. 

Using captivating music, native dress, and traditional African musical instruments presented in an historical/cultural context, Onye gave each student and teacher the opportunity to join the drum circle on stage. 

Senior Prefect and Black Student Union President Chidera O. ’25 perfectly described the mood generated by these performances, sharing “I am so happy! Onye and I both come from the same region in Nigeria, and it filled me with immense joy and energy to hear our music and to see our culture being shared with the SD community! I am glad we are able to share so many cultures here and I hope this inspires everyone to learn more about African and African-American culture during this Black History Month!”