ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Memorial Art Gallery’s 23rd Black History Month celebration has one thing on its agenda.

“[That is] to celebrate culture,” said Annie Dukes, guest program coordinator for Black History Month at the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester. 

The best way to do that is through art. 

“It allows them to not just hear what we’ve been through and what we’ve come through, but they can see it, they can visualize it and then they can have that empathy if you will to say oh, now I get it, I understand,” Dukes said.

Giving painters, dancers and drummers, like African drummer and dancer Mayukwa Kashiwa, the chance to further that understanding in the best way they know how.

“I’m here just to share the culture, the love, to everybody. Drumming to me it just brings people from all walks of life,” said Kashiwa.

Coming to Rochester from Zambia, Africa, Kashiwa gets to bring a piece of his home to his new community. 

“In Africa, every evening this is what we do. We come together, people from different tribes, we come together. Like my country has 73, 73 tribes and I only speak seven of those. So we come together and we share the culture.”

They also share the art that expresses the culture.

“My goal in this country is just to bring everybody together because when we talk about Black History Month, it's all about interactive, bringing all walks of life, and exactly that's what drumming means to me,” Kashiwa said. 

It's something that can be seen through drumming, dancing, painting and all other forms of artistic expression. 

“In spite of the bondage and the trials and tribulations, we have persevered and we continue to thrive and excel,” said Dukes.