Projects
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
– Mahatma Ghandi
Cyber Village
Our cyber village is a technology bridge that connects African students in the Motherland with African American students in the U.S. This Internet bridge targets 12 to 18-year-olds and helps expose them to worlds beyond their imaginations. Through technology, they are able to exchange cultural ideas, customs, norms, music, dance, language, and much more.
Culture Center in Sénégal
Da’African Village is building a Cultural Center in Sénégal, West Africa that will be located near the beautiful Pink Lake. The center will be a focal point for individuals as well as groups, who are committed to the health and well-being of the family. Residential rooms, dance and drum studios, and conference spaces will be built for visitors and locals alike.
Sponsor a Child in Sénégal
Our programs provide assistance with school tuition and supplies, after-school tutoring and mentoring as well as transportation. We are committed to providing strong lines of communication with sponsors, sponsored children, and our organization. 100 percent of the proceeds are invested in the sponsored children.
Volunteer Work in Sénégal
As a volunteer in Sénégal, you can learn French from a qualified language teacher and practice your conversational skills daily with the local people in Dakar. There plenty of other volunteer opportunities available; from decorating kindergarten classrooms to working as a nurse intern, to helping street children or assisting to coach a local soccer team, there are many ways to give.
Cultural Travel
Experience Sénégal and The Gambia through our annual Pilgrimage to the Motherland. In this 12-day spectacular tour of Africa, we visit places such as Dakar, Gorée Island, the once departure point for millions of African slaves bound for the Americas, the unusual Pink Lake, that has a salt content comparable to that of the Dead Sea, the Roots Village of Kunta Kinte and so much more!
Talking Wolof With Da'African Village
Talking Wolof with Da’African Village was inspired by many years of serving as a tour guide, and leading thousands of tourists from the U.S. and Europe to his homeland of Sénégal and other countries within West Africa including The Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Ghana, and Guinea. Well known in the travel and tourism industry, Mara has guided many famous celebrities to his homeland and it was during this time that Mara realized the need to create a comprehensive book that helps those traveling abroad to communicate more effectively with the people of W. Africa.
A Touch of Africa
A Touch of Africa is our largest community event that takes place annually in Santa Cruz, California, and Las Vegas, Nevada. This family-friendly event celebrates African culture through dance and musical performances by world-class artists from Africa and the diaspora, it promotes African fashion and merchandise through an upbeat fashion show and pocket-friendly vendor bazaar. Lastly the event ends with drum and dance workshops taught by renowned African dance and drum performers, instructors and musicians
Drum Circles & Drum Class
Our drum classes are usually held weekly at Africa Love in Town Square Las Vegas on Friday evenings. Each class provides education on the West African drum, the djembe, and offers a night full of fun for the entire family. Our drum circles are typically held on the first Saturday of each month during the spring/summer months on the grounds of Town Square Las Vegas. Our drum circles are known to bring people of all walks of life together in a symbiotic rhythm as we celebrate our love for culture.
Youth Development Drum Program
The building block to developing all bridges of togetherness is cultural awareness through education; and to nurture progressive thinking, education must start early! In this way, Da’African Village™ is very excited to offer an array of culturally and historically significant classes intended to give children and adults alike a deeper meaning behind African drums and culture.