By Kendra Bryant
Special to the AFRO
The Baltimore Rhythm Festival filled Guilford Avenue with culture, music, food and workshops on Sept. 13.
The festival featured local and national performers, such as Sanahara Ama Chandra, Maria Boom, Park Vibe Drummers, Keur Khaleyi African Dance and Cultural Institute, Bele Bele Rhythm Collective and more.
“Everyone has rhythm,” said festival founder, Rory Turner. “African culture equals rhythm. It’s a way to bring people together in Baltimore.”
Hundreds turned out for the event, which has become a staple of the Baltimore community.
Menes Yahudah, director of arts and community development, said the event “isn’t just about playing the instruments…it’s about what the playing will do for others.”
Yahudah has been playing the drums since the age of 2, influenced by his father, Benyamin “Big Ben” Yahudah, one of the founders of the Park Vibe Drummers. He and his wife, Eboni, have volunteered with the festival since 2014.
The Park Vibe Drummers have been meeting in Druid Hill Park since 1968, carrying on the legacy by drumming every Sunday.
According to Moyo Afrika, in many African cultures, the drum historically played an essential role in community life as a means of communication. In West Africa, “talking drums” (like the tama or dundun) were used to send messages across villages, with specific beats and rhythms representing particular words and phrases.
The Baltimore Rhythm Festival staff is made up of volunteers–many college and high school students. Shown here from left: Cadita Attipoe, Ethel Olekambainei, Rory Turner, Arionna Bell, Menes Yahudah and Ange-Marie Zongo (seated) greeted guests with T-shirts at the festival entrance. Credit: AFRO Photos/Kendra Bryant 
Performer Yuma “Docta Yew” Bellomee hosted a workshop, teaching attendees how to play West African percussion instruments. Credit: AFRO Photos/Kendra Bryant 
The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum hosts interns throughout the school year. Seen here from left: Rodney McClary, museum PR Eboni Yahudah and Baltimore City College intern Shaniya Brown pose with a wax sculpture of saxophonist Wilfred “Mickey” Fields. Credit: AFRO Photos/Kendra Bryant 
The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum uses events like the festival to spread awareness of their expansion project. The museum is in the first phase of its expansion. They will need $2 million to complete this project. Credit: AFRO Photos/Kendra Bryant 
BeeSmokeShack owners Byron Brown, left, and Sherrie McCollum serve fried ribs, chicken tenders and peach cobbler. Credit: AFRO Photos/Kendra Bryant 
Dance instructor Jihan Von Hendricks, also known as “Mama Jihan,” teaches African dance routines to guests in a gymnasium workshop. She is accompanied by members of the Keur Khaleyi African Dance Company. Credit: AFRO Photos/Kendra Bryant 
Moziah Saleem, who learned to play the African drums in 1988 while in Nashville, Tenn., now hosts a workshop on diasporic percussion. Credit: AFRO Photos/Kendra Bryant 
Business owner Janet Thaxton features her fresh juice line, Electric Butterfly, which she opened in 2016. Her products are aimed at improving digestion, heart diseases and other ailments common in African Americans. Credit: AFRO Photos/Kendra Bryant 
The Baltimore Rhythm Festival included 40 different vendors selling jewelry, clothing and body care. Credit: AFRO Photos/Kendra Bryant 
Bele Bele Rhythm Collective is a DMV-based group of African drummers made up of women and non-binary people. Credit: AFRO Photos/Kendra Bryant 
Youth at The Baltimore Rhythm Festival. Credit: AFRO Photos/Kendra Bryant
Grammy-nominated songwriter Jamaal “Black Root” Collier hosted the event.
“Collier always has strong, good energy about himself,” said Yahudah. “He’s always engaging with children and families. He advocates for justice, truth and family.”
Food vendors like BeeSmoke Shack and Kuk’s Tribute Cuisine offered vegan meals, smoked meats, Tex-Mex and Ghanaian cuisine. About 40 local businesses sold handmade jewelry, clothing, juices and body care in the marketplace.
Participants also joined in drumming and dance workshops on drumming, along with children’s activities, including a puppet show.
The festival began in 1995 as the Baltimore International Rhythm and Drumming Society (BIRDS). In 2014, Turner and Yahudah relaunched it under the current name.
Students from local colleges and universities volunteered at the event. Community partners included Metro by T-Mobile, Greenmount West Community Association, Baltimore Montessori Public Charter School, Fusion Partnerships and Second Missionary Baptist Church.
“We want for people to go back home to their families and communities and speak highly of the event,” said Yahudah. “Nothing can stop us from spreading this older form of medicine.”