About Us
Nilee Program
Link for first class on YouTube here
The Nilee Forum (Nilee means "knowledge" in Ga) connects teens in the USA with artists and other professional Ghanaians rediscover their African identity/heritage. This program seeks to exchange cultural and historical knowledge on both sides by focusing on socioeconomic, cultural, political, and other discussion topics to build a more cohesive and inclusive international community.
THE OPPORTUNITY
Our prioritized need with this project is to address the identity issues often faced by African American teens and teens of other races, for that matter. Teens are not only molded and shaped by the environment in which they reside (e.g., family context, peers, neighborhoods, and historical context), but they become integral parts of their identity development process.
KEY ACTIVITIES
Short term – A monthly online virtual masterclass where a KPrize artist speaks to an ASM class on a curated theme, with Africa as the foundational focus. This includes a monthly virtual workshop where ASM children interact with the artist and non-artist Ghanaians and other African professionals to offer a well-rounded perspective on rediscovering their African identity.
Long-term - Back to your Roots Program - Organized travel program to Ghana centered around an agreed theme to enable African Americans to experience first-hand the social, cultural, economic, and political knowledge and expand their network.
Long-term Other - Mentor Program - Establish a peer-to-peer exchange program among at least 500 African American and Ghanaian teens where the US teens can express and share their views and knowledge with their Ghanaian counterparts and vice versa.
ASM Master Class 1 Feedback link here
ASM Master Class 1 - Yaw Sompa Self Identity presentation link here
Master Class 1 - Self-Awareness - Know Thyself - Wild; Yet Sweet by Yaw Sompa
I grew up on whites;
I was forced to believe; I was not bright;
That my sight was dim and had to fight for heights;
I saw my light but it appeared barely right for the night;
Excited as I got of my strides, it was never like the white knight;
I had to bite, spite, ditch polite and even invite blight;
All because of my plight of being invincible – lost in the twilight; forgotten and unloved
Talking about love, I was not the sugar – white
I was not refined – collected
I was not the preference – soothing
I did not fit into the box – defined
I was slimy and made out of a sting
Little did I know I was a king
With wings to soar as high
To bring spring by my thing:
Little did I know that in my singing, writing and even winking
I was more powerful with a bind – that I was honey
So I don’t chase the gram for attention – HONEY
I don’t quiver at their shallowness – HONEY
I don’t apologize for my awesomeness – HONEY
I drip sweat and wet – HONEY
Keeping it raw yet healthy – HONEY
When they call me brute, I shout wild – HONEY
So don’t feel beaten by sugar coz you are – HONEY
Interpretation & Treatment of Poem
