Dehkontee Artists Theatre Puts Liberia Back on the World Map of Culture: Hits the Stage at Ibrahim Theatre in Philly July 28th!

The 41st Anniversary of Dehkontee Artists Theatre, Inc. (DATI) will be officially launched on Saturday, July 28, 2018, at the Ibrahim Theatre in the International House, 3701 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. DATI will feature an African romance play entitled, “Love for Mymah”, written and directed by Dr. Joe Gbaba. Curtains go up at 8 p.m. Admissions to DATI's 41st Gala are as follows:

Grand Patron: $100

Patron: $50

Adult: $25

Dehkontee Artists Theatre is a 501 ? (3) nonprofit, African-centered, educational, and cultural organization. It promotes social justice, cultural diversity, and peaceful coexistence among mankind through the performing and visual arts. Some of the funds raised from this year’s fundraising event will be used to purchase air time on local radio and television stations in Liberia to launch DATI’s Peace and Reconciliation and Cultural Awareness Campaign beginning December 2018. To donate, please visit our official website: https: wwwdehkonteeartiststheatreinc.com and click on the “Donate” button to make a donation. Also, one can make a donation by making a check or money order payable to:

Dehkontee Artists Theatre, Inc.

P. O. Box 143

Clifton Heights, PA 19018

Or, you can donate through our Wells Fargo checking account: 3931972677.

Background about the Author and Director

Joe wrote "Love for Mymah" forty-one years ago. Later, he received his MFA in Directing and Acting from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNC-G). He also trained under some outstanding American theatre icons including William Wendt, a Hollywood and Broadway actor, Drs. Tom Behm, Herman Middleton, Richard Mennen, and Charles "Sonny" Bell, and Andreas Nomikos.

Dr. Gbaba is also an educator trained at St. Joseph's University, a Jesuit institution of higher learning in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He earned his Master of Science in Education with emphasis in Elementary and Special Education and Doctorate in Educational Leadership in 2002 and 2009, respectively. Rabbi Gbaba is also the self-published author of three books: The Frogs and Black Snake in Frogsville, Ah-zeo, Ma Garh, and Conflict Resolution and the Concept of Change.

As an educator, Dr. Gbaba has taught English, Literature, Drama, and Advanced Composition from elementary to college levels at the University of Liberia, Cuttington University, St. Patrick’s, St. Teresa’s Convent, A.M.E. Zion Academy, College of West Africa, Mother Pattern College of Social Work and served as Principal of Zwedru Multilateral High School and as Acting Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism of Liberia.

Background about the Play

Reminiscing forty-one years back, Gbaba stated:

The play debuted forty-one years ago at the University of Liberia while I was pursuing my baccalaureate degree in English Literature. I wanted to connect what I was learning as an English Literature major in Liberia College to the authentic culture and history of Liberia. So, I wrote a play that blends the cultural beliefs and customs of indigenous Liberians from two of its major linguistic groups—the Kwa and Mande. However, we only did an act (four scenes) because we had limited time to rehearse and prepare for our open house.

Also, two friends of mine named Josephine Gibson and Stephen Jebro Crayton, Jr., inspired me to write this play. They were also founding members of Dehkontee Artists Theatre at the University of Liberia. So, I cast them as the lead characters in "Love for Mymah". Steve played Jebro and Josephine played Mymah, and they nailed it!

Besides, my innate artistic drive behind the penning of this play was to present traditional Liberian culture at its best by exhibiting the cultural norms of Liberian ethnic groups from the Kwa and Mande linguistic groups of Liberia. Hence, the Jebro the Kru prince represented the Kwa speaking people’s culture (Krahn, Kru, Grebo, Bassa, Deiweion, Belleh, Sapo, Gbi), while Vai Princess Mymah the reflected the Mande speaking people of Liberia (Vai, Gola, Mende, Kissi, Kpelle, Gbandi, Mah, Dahn, Mandingo).

Dehkontee Artists Theatre Forty-One Years Ago

Dehkontee Artists Theatre, Inc. (DATI) was established at the University of Liberia forty-one years ago in September 1977. DATI's open house drew a lot of big names to the University of Liberia Capitol Hill campus. The first female President of the University of Liberia, Dr. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman, proudly sat in the front roll seat and she was sandwiched by two of Liberia's prominent culture icons in the persons of Dr. Edward B. Kesselly, Minister of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism, and his Deputy, the internationally acclaimed African novelist and cultural expert, Honorable Bai T. Moore. Parents of Dehkontee Artists Theatre members, including Gbaba's mother, Princess Martha Gbeh-Nyennonh-Garh Gaye and Assistant Youth and Sports Minister Stephen J. Crayton, Sr., were there to support their children who were pioneers of the cultural revolution that evolved during the Tolbert era!

Purpose for the Love Theme

Said Gbaba, "I wrote this play during an era when Liberians loved and respected one another, and when true friendship flourished among friends from varied cultural and ethnic backgrounds. For us the younger ones those days, it did not matter whether you were Americo-Liberian or a Native. Instead, we developed love and appreciation for one another in the classroom and on the playground based on principles and love for country as fellow compatriots.

We acknowledged and promoted one another's talents. Above all, we grew up learning the civics of the Liberian society: how to be law-abiding and to respect the rule of law. Hence, the emergence of DATI as a cultural organization comprising some of the elite artists of Liberia was highly welcomed and supported by the students of the University of Liberia, as well as the public, and senior officials of the Liberian government, including President Tolbert who was chief patron of Liberian arts and culture."

Moving fast forward, forty-one years later, the entire country is in shambles. Liberians no longer love one another. A bloody civil war waged by greedy and self-centered politicians ripped the country apart, destroyed human lives, the entire infrastructure of Liberia, and turned the majority into beggars that thirst and hunger near the rivers and oases of natural and mineral resources. Education, let alone the performing and visual arts that bubbled during the Tolbert era, dwindled, and gradually faded away as barbarism became the order of the day due to the rebel incursion spearheaded by Liberian warlords and economic criminals in cohort with their international partners nearly thirty years ago.

Therefore, the civil war overshadowed and strangulated the growth of the performing arts industry in Liberia and replaced it with a live theatre of atrocities and mayhem. The long lapse of time Liberian children were denied access to educational opportunities rapidly increased the illiteracy rate in Liberia to its staggering 90% rate! As a result, many of the new generation of Liberians born during the war period have no basic education, neither do they have any clue about their Liberian and African cultural heritage. To make matters worse, the former President Mrs. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf demolished the Kendeja National Cultural Center whose presence united Liberians and gave them a sense of national pride and dignity.

Apparently, Mrs. Sirlef's objective was to intentionally create a new breed of Liberians that will be ignorant about themselves, denigrate their native culture, and warmly embrace western and alien cultures and ideologies to their own detriment and the Liberian society. Of course, this vicious plan has worked well over the past three decades based on the ‘divide and rule’ tactics of the old order, the effect of which is the bloody civil war we had and the continued presence of Liberian warlords in the corridors of power in Liberia. Accordingly, it is within this tumult that Dehkontee Artists Theatre has survived over the past forty-one years, as it strives to educate and entertain, and to promote Liberian arts and culture and to put Liberia back on the cultural map of the world.

Why DATI’s 41st Anniversary Is Significant

DATI's National Peace and Reconciliation and Cultural Awareness project will target the youthful population that was born during the war period to provide them civic education and conflict resolution skills through radio and television plays and live performances throughout Liberia.

DATI's 41st Anniversary celebration is significant because the organization is raising funds to launch a national cultural awareness and national reconciliation campaign on local radio and television stations in post war Liberia. Some of the funds raised will be used to purchase television and radio air time to present civic education and cultural awareness radio and television drama series, lectures, and live performances across Liberia, and the project will be implemented in collaboration with local Liberian artists.

As a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit cultural and educational organization, the Board of Directors, officers, and members of DATI are appealing to all humanitarians, philanthropists, and grant organizations to donate generously towards the DATI Cultural Awareness and National Reconciliation Performing and Visual Arts project in Liberia. It will serve as a source of healing postwar Liberians from their traumatic wounds they suffered during the Liberian Civil War. Further, the project will help Liberians to become nationally conscious, and promote peace and national unity among the war-stricken people of Liberia.

What to Expect on Stage on July 28th at the Ibrahim Theatre

Theatre goers should expect to have an exciting evening of rich cultural entertainment performed by an array of well-trained African and American artists under the adept direction of scholar-artist Joe Gbaba. Starring in the play are various international artists from different countries. Some DATI artists have accomplished in their various disciplines in the arts and they have performed for the national cultural troupes of their respective countries, while a few of our performers are appearing on stage for the very first time. Below is a synopsis of their respective backgrounds and artistic accomplishments and experiences.

Andre Minkins: King Konkai of Jundoo

Andre stars as King Konkai in “Love for Mymah”. He obtained his MFA in Acting and Directing from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro's prestigious School of Theatre. His experience with Dehkontee Artists Theatre started thirty-six years ago when he was an undergraduate Communications major at UNC-G. Due to Andre's musical talent, Gbaba approached him to join Dehkontee Artists, and helped jumpstart Andre's acting career. Andre accepted the offer and played the lead role as Vukani in Gbaba's master’s thesis and mainstage production of his "Chains of Apartheid" at the Aycock Auditorium. The play portrayed the repressive racist regime in South Africa and was internationally acclaimed on the continent of Africa. Later, Andre considered pursuing an acting career and enrolled in the MFA program at UNC-G. He currently teaches Acting and is a tenured professor of Drama and Communications at Winston-Salem State University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Princess Ariminta Gbaba: Miatta, the Manjahmusuweh of Jundoo

Princess Ariminta Gbaba, wife of Rabbi Gbaba, plays Miatta, the Manjahmusuweh of Jundoo. This is her first major role on stage, even though she played several minor on-stage-and-off-stage roles during DATI’s past productions as Box Office Manager and stagehand. Ariminta holds a B.A. degree in English from Cuttington University in Liberia, and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Ma Jebbeh envies Miatta because Ma Jebbeh faults the queen’s mother for bewitching her not to marry the King of Jundoo. In the play, Miatta experiences emotional stress when Ma Jebbeh and Musu bewitch Princess Mymah and she eventually dies. However, through divine intervention and the supernatural powers of the spirits of their ancestors Mymah returned from the realm of the dead and ended up marrying the handsome Kru Prince Jebro.

Prince Julian Gbaba: Kru Prince Jebro of Seklekpor

Prince Jebro is played by Dr. Gbaba's oldest son, Prince Julian Gbaba. He suits the saying, "Like father, like son". Hence, apart from being a “look-alike” of his dad, Julian is a gifted and talented young actor. He is a graduate of West Philadelphia Catholic High School, and a former student of Penn State University at Hazelton. He began his acting career at an early age under the tutorage of his father globally referred to as "Liberia's Shakespeare".

Julian has acted in many of Dehkontee Artists Theatre’s productions in Liberia as a member of DATI’s Children’s Peace Theatre and here in the United States as lead actor in several DATI performances. Thus, Julian brings his grace, handsome looks, and eloquence to the stage this summer, as the Kru prince of Seklekpor charms the princess of Jundoo with his magical powers and charisma.

Saigay Sheriff: Princess Mymah

Princess Mymah is as gorgeous as the name sounds and as she looks in person. Beautiful Ms. Saigay Sheriff comes to the stage for the very first time in her life as Vai Princess Mymah of Jundoo. She also comes from a line of Liberian artists. Her grandfather Old Kolubah Bobo hailed from the village of Malema in Lofa County, Northwestern Liberia. He was a notable traditional magician, and Saigay is the daughter of the famous Liberian dance artist, Madam Kormassa Bobo. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Food Business Management, with a minor in Advanced Wines and Beverages from the famed Culinary Institute of America in Hyde, New York. Saigay graduated with high honors in 2017.

Saigay is the perfect fit for the role of Princess Mymah. She is very devoted to achieving excellence and her eloquence and grace are two great assets she brings with her as she debuts in a lead role in what will be her very first theatre experience. In addition, Saigay acquired from her mother some very refined dance skills and she amazingly manifests finesse in traditional Liberian/African dance steps even though as a United States citizen, she has never visited her mother's homeland (Liberia). Hence, it is indeed an understatement to say, "Artistry is in her genes!"

This year, Saigay may benefit from the DATI's "Apprentice Program" which provides one-on-one training from Dr. Gbaba in traditional storytelling techniques.

Sianei Jackson

Oh, oh! Here comes Princess Mymah's arch-ravel named Musu, played by Sianei Jackson! This is Sianei’s first role in a major theatre production, but she has immense talents that can be harnessed to make her a vibrant actress someday. There is so much juice in the storyline to keep the audience on edge throughout the duration of "Love for Mymah", and Musu is the person that keeps the complex plot of the play swinging.

Prince Jebro is so charming that Musu abandons her role as the chief confidante of Princess Mymah to express her desire to win the Kru prince's love. Unfortunately, Prince Jebro is madly in love with Princess Mymah and not her maid Musu. In revenge, Musu forms an alliance with Ma Jebbeh the chief suahmon of Jundoo to get rid of Princess Mymah through voodoos. So, a whole lot of evil takes place that finally lands Musu to her early grave!

Madam Kormassa Bobo: Ma Jebbeh, the Chief Suah-mon of Jundoo

Madam Kormassa Bobo is one of Liberia's leading dance artists. She plays Ma Jebbeh, the chief suah-mon or witch of Jundoo. Ma Jebbeh holds deep grudge against Princess Mymah because she alleges that the princess’ grandmother used her supernatural powers as the head witch or suah-mon in Jundoo to sway King Konkai’s love away from her. Therefore, Ma Jebbeh is willing to do anything to pay back.

Subsequently, Ma Jebbeh teams up with Musu who also has grudge against her mistress Princess Mymah, and proposes several wicked plans for Musu to implement if Musu desires to win Jebro’s love. After several failures in executing their plans, Ma Jebbeh and Musu manage to bewitch Princess Mymah and she dies. However, Mymah’s ghost appears to Jebro and instructs him to consult with the Oracle of Garwoulah who will reveal how she can be brought back to life. Jebro follows the ghost’s orders and finally, the two royals get married and live happily ever after!

Anssumane Silla: Fyee, the Fierce Alligator and the Oracle of Garwoulah

International super star Anssumane Silla hails from the West African Republic of Guinea Bissau. He is an internationally acclaimed traditional African drummer and choreographer. He was a member of the Guinea Bissau National Dance Troupe and he currently teaches traditional African drumming and dance in the Philadelphia region.

Anssumane plays dual roles in the “Love for Mymah” production. He displays his versatility as an African master drummer in the beginning of the play by gently and adeptly tapping the center and edges of his traditional African drum with his magical fingers and produces vibrant sounds the likes of which you have never heard before. Anssuame’s height and his knowledge about the performing and visual arts are a great advantage to his stage presence as Fyee, the most feared and revered alligator in the world! He roars, grabs Princess Mymah in his arms and speedily takes her away beneath the depths of Lake Piso in a dramatic dance that makes your heart throb with owe!

As the Oracle of Garwoulah, Anssumane displays his magical powers and provides the answer to Prince Jebro’s puzzle—to bring Princess Mymah back to life. As a professional African dance and musical artist, Anssumane brings a wealth of performing arts experience to Dehkontee Artists Theatre and the cultural community of greater Philadelphia. He also conducts dance lessons at a local studio in Philadelphia.

Zeze Konie: Guard, Momo, Sangbe

Zeze Konie will be participating as a newcomer on stage. However, he has a storehouse of talents that when properly harnessed will make him a great actor and stage performer. As the Guard to the Princess of Jundoo, he gets injured while defending Princess Mymah against the onslaught of Fyee, the Alligator. His health is restored to normalcy when he meets Sartiah, Prince Jebro’s confidant who comes on an expedition on behalf of his majesty to make preparations for Prince Jebro’s visit to Vai Land. Later, Zeze plays Momo, one of the elders of Jundoo and a member of King Konkai’s council of elders. Then Zeze changes to Sangbe, the voodooist. He performs his sorcery to help heal Princess Mymah from her illness but falls short due to the intensity of Ma Jebbeh’s enchantment.

Princess Journee Lynn Gbaba: Understudy for Musu

Princess Journee Lynn Gbaba is Dr. Gbaba’s eleven-year-old granddaughter. She debuted on stage as a member of DATI’s Children’s Peace Theatre during Liberia’s 168th Independence Day celebration on July 25th, 2015 at the Liberian Chancery in Washington, D.C. Journee is designated as the understudy of Musu. Very smart and talented Journee has had no problem getting into her character and speaking her lines with the appropriate actions and intonation to accompany them. She also plays the role of one of the village kids of Jundoo.

Prince Jaeden Yeleyon Gbaba: Sarwon and Tweh

Twelve-year-old Prince Jaeden Yeleyon Gbaba plays dual roles in “Love for Mymah”—Sarwon and Tweh. Both characters are Prince Jebro’s bodyguards. Jaeden has had basic training in acting and stage appearance from his Grand Dad, Dr. Gbaba. He is very smart and enthusiastic about learning his cultural heritage as a child of mixed African American and Liberian parents. He has been a member of DATI’s Children’s Peace Theatre since he was eight years old.

Lars Tomo McCritty: DATI’s Stage Manager

Lars Tomo McCritty is one of the best stage managers in African theatre. He has been with Dehkontee Artists Theatre since 1984 when he was a student at the University of Liberia. Tomo has played some lead roles in Gbaba’s “The Resurrection”, “Town Trap”, and many other DATI productions. He is also good at running the lights and coordinating the sound effects. He is a devoted Liberian performing artist and he plays musical instruments such as the guitar, piano/organ, and plays the drums as well. He participates in the “Love for Mymah” drama as one of the villagers apart from being the Stage Manager.

Published by DATI's Public Relations Bureau

July 12, 2018