Kwaku Manu

Kwaku Manu is a master Ghanaian movement artist, percussionist, and educator with over 30 years of experience dedicated to the preservation and contemporary evolution of West African performing arts. His work is deeply rooted in the traditional music and dance styles of Ghana, including Agbadza, Adowa, and Kpanlogo, bridging ancestral oral histories with modern global realities. As a performer, he has presented at prestigious events such as the American Dance Festival.

After graduating from the University of Ghana, Kwaku served as a Dance and Drumming Instructor at that institution. As an educator, Kwaku transforms classrooms and community spaces into democratic forums where students engage with the deep historical, linguistic, and cultural contexts of every rhythm and gesture.  His extensive pedagogical footprint in California includes teaching West African drumming and dance at UC Berkeley, serving as a faculty member at the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, and bringing residency programs in drumming and dance to schools across the city of Richmond.