Fiscal Sponsee Maputo Mensah was born and raised in Accra, Ghana, in a family of professional musicians and dancers. By the age of five he was dancing and drumming with his family, and by the age of ten he was teaching and performing these traditional Ghanaian arts professionally. Later, Maputo performed, traveled internationally, and taught with various Ghanian dance troupes, and he studied and taught with the renowned Mustapha Tettey Addy at the Academy of African Music and Arts for 14 years. He has wide international experience as a guest teacher and performer, and he also heads up his own dance troupe, Logo Ligi, based in Boulder, Colorado. Maputo shares his passion for the arts and culture of West Africa with his students at the University of Colorado, the University of Denver, K-12 schools in the Rocky Mountain region, and at community venues in the Front Range. Each summer, he leads a month-long trip to his native Ghana, for a full immersion in the arts and culture he loves. He is currently working to build a vibrant new Akpe Cultural Center in Kokrobite, Ghana, which will welcome both local and international students of the African arts. On Saturday, May 11, at the Canyon Theater in Boulder's Public Library, there will be a screening of the film Liyana to benefit the Cultural Center and the Liyana Children's Education Fund. The filmmakers will be on hand for a Q&A after the screening. Tickets are $15 at the door.
Our Fiscal Sponsorship program entitles individual artists and cultural organizations without 501(c)(3) status to apply to funders and solicit tax deductible donations under the auspices of Boulder County Arts Alliance, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Fiscal Sponsorship is essentially a re-granting program for grant awards and contributions to specific pre-approved artists or organizations intended for purposes directly related to BCAA's purpose: To provide leadership and resources for arts organizations, artists, educators, and the community of Boulder County. Refer to the guidelines on our website for more information and then contact us to schedule a brief coaching session prior to submitting your application. Donate or learn more about the Akpe Cultural Center.
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