During my recent travels as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana, West
Africa, I met Timothy Attipoe (ah-TEE-poh), a drummer and
choreographer of African dances. He had founded a group called African
Friends in 1984, and since then he and his twenty drummers and dancers
have played throughout the West African region. They perform
high-energy traditional dance to the beat of half-a-dozen handmade
drums. Known as the “Stevie Wonder of Ghana” for his blindness,
Timothy Attipoe also teaches drumming classes at the University of
Ghana.
Mr. Attipoe's ultimate goal is to take the African Friends on a
Western tour and bring his unique style of music and culture to the
United States. The group is not interested in making a profit; the
members only want an opportunity to perform here. However, sending all
twenty members of the group from Ghana to the U.S. and back again
could cost around $50,000. As an alternative, Mr. Attipoe could
perform with as few as four members of his group. Expenses for this
smaller group would be less than $10,000. (The cost of airfare is the
biggest factor in these expenses.) The group is open to any kind of
recognition or advertising that the sponsor(s) would like.
I promised Mr. Attipoe that when I returned to America, I would search
for sponsors who could supply these funds and bring the African
Friends to America. Since then, I've produced a website that includes
pictures and a description of the group:
http://vocaro.com/africanfriends
The site also hosts a 12-minute streaming video that includes an
interview with Timothy Attipoe and clips of his performances. I can
provide a higher-quality copy of this video on DVD format to
interested parties.
I'm not sure how to proceed from here. I have no experience or
connections with the entertainment industry, and I'm only taking on
this project as a favor to Timothy (hence the low price on my
question), although I truly enjoy his performances. But as much as I
would love seeing his dream come true, I may not have the time to set
up a special non-profit organization for the sole purpose of
collecting donations for this one-shot deal.
So far, I have written to the government-funded Arts Council in my
state, but they only supply funds to incorporated nonprofit
organizations. I'm now in the process of writing letters to
local corporations here in Kansas City who have donated money to dance
groups in the past.
I am asking for references to other groups that I should contact.
Because the economy is weak right now, and because competition is
tight for public arts funds, I'm especially interested in locating
private groups that represent the interests of African-Americans or
the blind. Such groups may wish to help Mr. Attipoe overcome his
uniquely difficult circumstances by funding his trip.
Of course, I would also appreciate any additional advice you could
provide on how to phrase my requests for funds, what to ask for, and
what kind of response I should expect from potential sponsors. If
incorporating a special non-profit organization for this task is the
only way to go, please say so.
Thank you! |
