"Kongo Odyssey": Fua Dia Congo Celebrates Thirty Years of Excellence

Celebrating its 30th anniversary in the San Francisco Bay Area, FUA DIA CONGO (FWA) stunned viewers once again at Oakland's Scottish Rite Center on November 3, 2007. "Kongo Odyssey", a multifaceted presentation of African histories and heritage, narrated individual and collective journeys through time and space within the continent and across the Diaspora. Paying homage to the original members of FUA DIA CONGO, including the founder, world famous Congolese drummer and dancer, Malonga Casquelourd, FWA thrilled the audience with heart-jumping rhythms and tear-jerking imagery of African and African-American struggles for political and social justice.

The show's creative director and FWA's artistic director (also Casquelourd's eldest daughter), Muisi-kongo Malonga writes, "Our artistic presentation is a living and breathing documentary that weaves together multimedia and live stage performance and, for one night, allows us to revisit our past greatness and dance, drum and sing with mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and friends who are no longer with us, but have left us behind to continue the work they started."

Kongo Odyssey included documentary footage which featured filmed commentary from previous and present community members, as well as excerpts from local and national performances dating back to the 1970s. Viewers walked away from Kongo Odyssey with both new knowledge of and appreciation for the unifying forces of African song and dance which have forged lifelong ties among community members touched by Malonga Casquelourd’s legacy. Joining past and present members of FWA together on stage for the first time, Kongo Odyssey was a must-see for both returning viewers and newcomers alike searching for FWA's unmistakable energy with a twist of diverse presentation and choreography unlike any other in African dance.

Michelle Mwalimu is a Stanford University alumnus originally from Silver Spring, Maryland. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in Educational Policy and African Studies at Michigan State University.