WHO WE ARE Founded & headed by Kocassale Dioubate & Sasha Belle Hunt, Kunda is a small family-owned & operated project, with its' home bases between two beautiful havens : the Sunshine Coast / Vancouver in B.C., Canada, and Dubreka / Conakry in Guinea, West Africa. Kocassale is a ‘ griot’, or ‘ djeliba’, (a musician, praise-singer, story-teller, entertainer, counselor, keeper of tribal history and tradition,) of the Mandingo tribe – a role which is inherited through lineage, a tradition and culture which has been passed down through the family for hundreds, or thousands, of years. Thus the culture, music, and dance, which Kunda proudly represents, truly is family tradition & inheritance.
WHAT WE BELEIVE Kunda is for everyone – music & dance are universal languages, which are found in all cultures, and can cross all borders. Music & dance are a means of communication for all peoples, regardless of ethnic origin, language, color, or age. Kunda is for the whole family : children, youth, adults, and elders. And, beyond that, Kunda is anyone, and everyone – Kunda includes all those who have joined us or helped us at any given moment, or may in the future, and those who should choose to share our mission with us : to celebrate life, through through joy, music, culture and art… We believe that we are all one big family, and that we should hold respect for all elders as if they were our grandfathers, for all women as if they were our mother, sisters, or daughters, and for men as if they were our own father, brothers, or sons… Despite our beautiful and unique cultural differences and ethnic backgrounds, we all stem from the same ancient root, and we are perfectly capable of living together in peace and harmony - we are truly one world, one love, and one people. Kunda believes in respect & unity : we believe in family.
OUR MISSION Kunda African Culture Music & Dance believes in sustainable development,community spirit & support, and we adhere to fair trade policies. One of our missions is to create work opportunities for, and employ, people in Guinea and other impoverished nations. Our project begins with Guinea, through the promotion, sales, and export-import of unique and quality Guinean arts & crafts. In addition, we create many work opportunities for Guineans as instructors, teachers, educators, guides, drivers, cooks, and hosts, when we bring international students to participate in our Intensive Course & Workshops in Guinea. We also have many other ideas and projects on the go, which we shall slowly and yet surely manifest, with hopes of helping to create a sustainable economic future for Guineans, within their own country, through small family driven and community orientated projects. A substantial portion of proceeds from our events, workshops, and sales, go back directly to Guinea, to support family, friends, and community there, to initiate new projects, or to simply meet day to day needs…
WHAT WE OFFER Kunda African Culture Music & Dance shares, and educates, with regards to the rich artistic West African culture, through interactive and educational West African percussion, music, & dance workshops, classes, performances and presentations, in schools, communities, and festivals, for both children and adult audiences and participants, as well as other public & private functions, on the Sunshine Coast, in Vancouver, throughout B.C., and beyond, including all of North America, as well as in Guinea, West Africa. We offer the sales of traditional West African instruments, as well as unique clothing and accessories, and other arts & crafts; a portion of which are imported fair-trade products from West Africa, and a portion of which we create and hand-craft ourselves. We are also happy to offer drum (and other instrument) maintenance services, such as re-skinning, tuning, tightening, etc.