Throughout the course of this exciting program, Lannaya performers demonstrate and explain the origins of a variety of traditional West African instruments, including the djembé drum, djun djun and that the style of an instrument, along with materials used, are dependent on the local environment. Within African culture, as in many other cultures, rhythm and music are a large part of daily life. Songs and dances complement living—from the mundane to the major. Ancient, traditional stories are characterized via live drumming and dance to recognize and celebrate occasions and milestones, including: courtship and marriage, children’s rites of passage, childbirth, nature, planting and harvesting crops, hunting, and the sheer joy of creative movement.