Oraganization Chronicle

Sunz of Sankofa was founded in 2003 by Hru Yuya Assaan and Kamau Tehuti Ptah with the expressed intent to provide a vehicle for inner-city youth to express their unique talents, concerns, and highlights their, often understated, achievements. The programs philosophy of participant inclusion and achievement highlighting is a philosophy built around a "Rite of Passage" model. Since inception, Sunz of Sankofa has expanded its services to cater to the adult population and the education community via professional development workshops, consultations, and community service.

Sunz of Sankofa currently has active service contracts throughout the NYC school system, provided professional development service/workshops to the educational communities in NJ/NY/VA/PA, established international partnerships, established a hands-on remote Permaculture/Rite of Passage learning experience in the state of VA that also serves as vital component of a state ATI program based in the Richmond, VA area, provided consultant services for YouthBuild USA, NJA3, NYCDOE, Rockland County Youth Bureau, and various schools and family/youth development centers throughout Westchester, N.Y., Bergen County, N.J., Hudson and Essex Counties of NJ.

Our Divine Objective

We are forever exploring new and inventive ways to articulate the precepts of Truth, Rightfulness, Harmony, Balance, Order, Reciprocity, Propriety and all of the other governing principles that guide those who consider themselves Master Scholars. Through various voices and avenues of expression we, not only, chronicle our clans movement and ascension but, also impart our united Truisms to all of our members and program participants.

We offer programs, which we refer to as "Passages", to the educational come-unity, as well as the active come-unity of Healers, Scholars, and Warriors. Our music, in itself, is an agent for transformation, not only for the listener but, for us as well.

We're often asked if the "Sunz" in Sunz of Sankofa is a reference to a masculine principal. It's not. Sunz of Sankofa uncovers the calculatingly concealed pathway back home. We accept the Sankofa charge and express through our collective gifts, the urgency and need to rear the village that will in turn rear the proverbial child.

Allow the spirit of Sankofa into your school, community assembly, home, and heart and let the healing begin!

-
Hru Yuya Assaan
Chief Jegna

In such our core purpose is To:
1. express authentic music that derives from indigenous sounds/musical formulas.
2. deliberately integrate metaphysical principles into our orchestration.
3. create music that focus on the crown and heart chakras.
4. infuse ancient Afrakan concepts into contemporary music.
5. create music that is consistent with the indigenous Afrakan perception of music.
6. advance concepts of artist who have embraced the traditional concept of Afrakan music (i.e. Coltrane, Marley, Tosh, Fela, Public Enemy, Gil Scott Heron, The Last Poets, KRS-1, etc).
7. establish a creative exploration think tank among artist who embrace and live by indigenous principles.
8. apply the Nguzo Saba into our musical expression and economic ventures.
9. establish venues for our youth to create self-affirming and value-centered art

Back to Programs page