Motherland House Concerts

Sounds the call to come together,
And united we shall stand,
Let us live and strive for freedom
In South African our land
National Anthem of South Africa

WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

The music of Africa

Joanne Bailey-Boorsma, the host of Locally Entertaining, sits down with members of the Motherland House Concerts. From the right, Netty BM, Ruben Ndjerareou, Beatrice Muriithi, and Mirbel Umenei. (WKTV)

This Saturday, and every fourth Saturday of the month, the Motherland House Concert series will present the music and culture of Africa at the Rising Grinds Cafe, 1167 Madison Ave. SE. This Saturday is the Padiman Experience featuring the music and culture of Africa with a focus on Senegal, where featured artist Netty BM is from. For more on the Motherland House Concert series, visit the Facebook page, Motherland House Concerts.

Heading’ down the rabbit hole

Grand Rapids Civic Theatre wraps up its 2018-2019 season with “Alice in Wonderland” and “All Shook Up.” (GRCT)

Shake the routine up by watching two local high school students perform the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre productions of “All Shook Up” and “Alice in Wonderland.” Both shows run July 26 – Aug. 4 at Grand Rapids Civic Theatre, 30 N. Division Ave. The shows alternative dates and times, so make sure to check ahead if you are look for a specific show. Kentwood’s Micah Hamstra plays Humpty Dumpty and Tweedledum in “Alice in Wonderland.” Wyoming’s Xavier Turner portrays Dennis in “All Shook Up.” Tickets are $10 – $16 with the shows only being about an hour. For more information, visit grct.org.

One ‘Queen’ of a show

The last dual feature of the Queen and Pink Floyd light shows is Aug. 1. (Longway Planetarium)

Buckle up, the Grand Rapids Public Museum will be offering the final Planetarium Double Feature showing of The Queen Light Show and Dark Side: The Light Show in the Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium on Thursday, Aug. 1. Tickets are are $8 for non-members, $4 for members. Tickets may be purchased at grpm.org or by calling 616.929.1700.

Take a stand

No matter where you stand in the state of Michigan you are never more than 85 miles away from one of the Great Lakes. So in just under two hours, you could be at beach. This is why we love Michigan!

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

It was a need that gave birth to Greater Grand Rapids’ newest cultural enterprise, the Motherland House Concerts.

Mirabel Umenei, who goes by the stage name Myra Maimoh, os a musician from Cameroon. When she arrived in Grand Rapids seven years ago, she began “looking for places to perform, to showcase my art and I was finding it difficult to do that. I also was finding other musicians from Africa who were facing the same issues,” Umenei said during a recent Locally Entertaining podcast.

From the right, Netty BM, Ruben Ndjerareou, Beatrice Muriithi, and Miracle Umenei join host Joanne Bailey-Boorsma for the Locally Entertaining podcast. (WKTV)

Umenei believed that if the various musicians and artists came together, they could do something to showcase the talents of the people from Africa. Thus Motherland House Concerts was born.

“The Motherland House Concerts is a platform where we showcase African music, African art, African storytelling, poetry and sometimes we have food and wines from Africa,” she said.

This Saturday, July 27, the Motherland House Concerts will feature a Padiman Experience Event, which provides an intimate showcase of African music and poetry. Saturday’s event, which is from 6 – 8 p.m., will focus on Senegal, the home country of featured artist Netty BM. The show is at Rising Grinds Cafe, 1167 Madison Ave. SE with tickets $25/advance, $30/at the door. The Padiman Experience will take place every fourth Saturday of the month.

In September will be the Banin Experience which pairs food, wine, poetry and music together. Those concerts will be Sept. 6 and 7 from 6- 9 p.m . at Rising Grinds Cafe. Tickets are $130.

“We hope to show that Africa is huge,” Umenei said. “That Africa is diverse, but it is oh so much fun!”

For more about The Motherland House Concerts, visit the Facebook page, Motherland House Concerts or go to Umenei’s website www.myramaimoh.com.