Join us in the Calderwood Courtyard for an hour of music performed by the Kuumba Singers of Harvard College. Offered in conjunction with the exhibition Joana Choumali: Languages of West African Marketplaces (January 25–May 11, 2025), this performance will feature songs that celebrate the rich musical culture of Black people, including spirituals, gospel, African folk songs, and contemporary music.

The Swahili word “kuumba,” meaning “to create,” embodies the choir’s mission: to express the creativity and spirituality of Black people through song and other art forms such as dance, poetry and spoken word.

The Kuumba Singers were organized in November 1970, at a time when Black students from Harvard, Radcliffe, and other colleges in the Boston area felt increasingly alienated from one another. The choir served as a source of unity, strength, and spiritual inspiration. Today that inspiration, unity, and strength extend to all those who believe in what the group represents.