Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 28, 1994 TAG: 9408050063
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By AIMEE RATLIFF SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
And, ever since, Hadassah Stowe and Leroy Lowe have combined their artistic talents to instill a rich and enlightening sense of the ancient African experience to audiences of all ages.
``I believe we have a destiny link with Malcolm X,'' says Stowe, who spends her time presenting African folklore, poetry and contemporary tunes to the spirited beat of Lowe's traditional African instruments.
The couple has formed Stowe and Lowe Productions and spend a lot of time in Roanoke, demonstrating what they like to call a ``synergistic approach,'' a hands-on experience that allows members of the audience to participate in actual drumming.
``This is introspective art and an opportunity to recreate the spirit. It allows the students to step inside themselves and reclaim their heritage,'' Stowe said.
Their workshops use entertaining yet resourceful activities such as making self-portrait puppets and and making African percussion instruments from recycle items, which is the African concept of ``something from nothing.''
Lowe and Stowe have shared their experiences at the Harrison Museum of African American Culture, festivals and V Magazine's Sunday Art on the Roanoke City Market. They also work regularly with students at the West End Center and have formed Lexima's, a Haitian cultural ensemble involving eight Haitian sisters and brothers.
``Even though the children could not speak English, we were able to communicate through the drumming. We transcended through the culture,'' Stowe said.
Stowe is an accomplished teacher, published poet and playwright from Kannapolis, N.C. Lowe is a drummer, singer and actor from New Castle, Pa.
Stowe became a crusader, she said, when she felt her two children from an earlier marriage were beginning to lose their cultural identities growing up in a desegregated society.
She began working to provide cultural awareness activities ``not only for my children but also for the neighborhood youth as well.'' Stowe, who has studied the arts at North Carolina Central and Elizabeth City universities, also worked with children from low-income neighborhoods through the North Carolina School of the Arts in Charlotte.
Lowe, who also renovates and remodels homes, originally wanted to be a singer. ``I used to pray to God to give me a beautiful voice, but then I changed that prayer to simply a song to sing,'' he said.
He studied acting at Los Angeles City College and African drumming at Sonoma State University. After developing his carpentry skills in Houston, he moved to Washington, where he was working when he met Stowe.
The couple say they connected immediately because of their interest in African culture and because Lowe recognized Stowe's need for a drummer in order for her to effectively continue her crusade.
Before moving to Roanoke, they lived in Floyd County, drawn there under the mentorship of A'Court Bason, an Appalachian instruments maker. Stowe originally corresponded with him through a friend in Charlotte.
``He kept us in tune with the pulse of Africa,'' Stowe explained.
In addition, Lowe taught carpentry skills to at-risk students at a Copper Hill farm.
``In order to have logical thinking, one must be into something constructive,'' said Lowe, who advocates bringing more business and trade to areas that are suffering economic deprivation.
``It would bring about a higher and more positive community esteem.''
Stowe and Lowe say they want to become catalysts for change among the African-American society in order to benefit and provide a keen awareness for the global community.
``We're hoping our work will prove itself. If we can do it in Roanoke, we can do it in the rest of the world,'' Lowe said.
To start, Stowe also has completed an African studies curriculum guide for grades K-6. She wrote ``KUMI: Culture is the Open Door for our Children,'' in conjunction with Hollins College, where she is working on her bachelor of arts degree in studio art.
Kumi means 10 in KiSwahili. The text, Stowe said, was inspired by her belief that cultural awareness helps individuals live a more enriched and fulfilling life and formulates creative and novel solutions to personal and public problems.
The manual has 140 pages of African studies information and corresponding planning materials. Other aspects include fun activities for students, goals and objectives for each of the 10 units, and graphics to color and display.
``This book was designed from a first-hand experience in working with at-risk youths who suffer from a lack of ethnic and cultural awareness [and] in order to disseminate a broader understanding of the `Know Thy Self' concept,'' Stowe said.
The guide has been introduced through workshops and programs to teachers and students in the Richmond, Chicago and Washington, D.C. areas. It received a very favorable response, and likely will be used to supplement the multicultural focus that already exists in their educational curricula, she said.
Some work by Stowe and Lowe is part of a cooperative exhibit at Studios in the Square, 206 Market Square. The guide also is on sale at the studio.
Memo: NOTE: A different version ran in July 29, 1994 Current.