The Apintie Drum

My journey started in Suriname.

I come from a family of nomads, who have spread over the world like wild fire. In the process we held on to some things and have let many things go. One thing that always remains is the stories of the people, cultures, and food we experienced along the way.

In 2003 I returned to Suriname to perform a spoken word productions for Carifesta. Carifesta is held in a different country in the Caribbean every time. It celebrates all of the Caribbean counties and allows the world to intensely experience the host country. Sumona Productions piece was comprised of a story teller (me), a dancer (Dolf Hoen), and films projected on the walls behind us. I knew the production was missing something.

Earlier I met a very well respected and talented actress, Helen Kamperveen. I performed for a talk show she hosted and on the Dobru (famous historic poet) boat. She recommended a drummer that might do the trick.

That's when I was introduced to Ernie Wolf (Okobua).