African arts · Cultural wisdom · Community
Mayinda educates and celebrates African cultures through events, performances, and partnerships that honor artists, enrich audiences, and preserve wisdom.
Mayinda’s foundation
Mission
Mayinda exists to educate and celebrate African cultures authentically. Every action, project, and partnership serves this purpose. Mayinda cultivates African celebration, wisdom, and pride in African arts heritage while supporting fair artist compensation and enriching audiences.
Vision
A world where African arts and culture are authentically celebrated, knowledge is accurately shared, and African wisdom is deeply integrated. We envision empowering artists, enriching audiences, and building a strong foundation for national leadership and future international growth.
What guides the work
Accurate, credible representation of African arts and culture.
Must be composed of 51% BIPOC leadership and members. Championing fair pay and opportunities.
Shared responsibility with artists, educators, sponsors, and communities.
Clear governance, financial documentation, and communication.
Programs that share African wisdom and deepen communal knowledge.
How purpose becomes practice
Local events, workshops, and performances that authentically celebrate African arts.
Platforms to create, share, and connect through collaboration, ensuring fair compensation while expanding audience reach.
Connect future sponsors and partners with community needs through research and effective funding allocation.
The mission in motion
Recurring engagement
A home where African cultures exist authentically and the community grows through truth without compromise.
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Monthly community engagement
Small monthly gatherings that nurture new artists and bring together dancers, musicians, practitioners, and enthusiasts.
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Multidisciplinary performance
A 45-minute performance bridging African symbolism, music, movement, and cinematic storytelling.
Explore the full detail ↓Engagement 01
We've built a home where African cultures exist authentically.
Our community grows through authenticity and truth without compromise. Under the guidance of Mayinda president Ogochimere, AfroDance Experience has presented four volumes: 2019, 2020, 2024, and 2025.
Follow @afrodancexperience on InstagramA glimpse into the journey
Community reflections
Invigorated. Nourished. Intrigued. Present. Immersed. Excited.
The instructors, different styles represented, and different levels of teaching. Structuring the program from beginner/foundation classes to intermediate/advanced. It helped me ease into everything and get me ready for the more difficult classes.
There’s not just one thing. Getting to experience all of the different instructor’s styles of teaching, the panel discussion, connecting with other dancers & Ola’s warm-ups.
It was a great cultural event with so many professional dancers, and advanced dancing students. As a beginner I feel l learned so much more than I imagined I would. I felt everyone was so friendly and welcoming, and I really needed the lifting I got from feeling surrounded by good, decent people. I would recommend this event to everyone, regardless of dance level because being in the presence of talented and knowledgeable teachers enriches you in ways beyond dancing.
Engagement 02
AfroDance Sessions nurture new artists and create a home for practitioners and enthusiasts.
Held at the end of each month, these small gatherings bring together dancers, musicians, and other disciplines to strengthen collaboration within Mayinda.
The sessions support employment within the community, give sponsors direct contact with participating artists, and connect participants with African heritage.
Engagement 03 · Project overview
A 45-minute multidisciplinary performance bridging African symbolism, music, and cinematic storytelling.
The work follows two Searchers and two Messengers as they lead the audience through heritage, transformation, and reconnection. It integrates three original video segments, LED or fire hoop artistry, and Afro-diasporic movement vocabularies to represent cultural resilience and renewal.
Production purpose
This production honors the passing down of wisdom through collaboration, storytelling, and purposeful representation; furthering the mission and vision of Mayinda
Designed for touring, each performance gathers a collective of artists who take the audience on a journey of Alkebulan's cultural remembrance.
Symbolism and motifs
During the performance and spread throughout African Symbolism reflect our Roots heritage. Explore their meanings below:
Meaning in the show
Faith, optimism, and hope for a better tomorrow.
Hover or focus a symbol. On touch screens, tap a symbol to reveal its meaning.
The cast
Select a cast member to view their complete profile board. Every supplied image is fitted inside the stage without cropping.
A community-rooted process
Research, listen, and develop cultural experiences that reflect African arts with authenticity.
Work with artists, communities, and organizations to co-create meaningful programs.
Uplift culture and connect communities through engaging experiences.
As lovers of art, let us continue to create welcoming spaces for community to express and cultures to exist freely.
Support with purpose
Mayinda connects future sponsors and partners with community needs through research and effective funding allocation that supports program health and sustainability.
Support artistic programs, research, and fair artist compensation.
Connect resources with community needs and aligned initiatives.
Strengthen user experience, quality proofing, analytics, and program sustainability.
Community findings
We asked members of our community these questions, and here is what we found out:
Question #1
Answer: Invigorated. Nourished. Intrigued. Present. Immersed. Excited.
Question #2
Answer: This is hard- the quality of the instruction across all teachers. I wish I could say one style was my favorite but to be honest each teacher was amazing. I think I really enjoyed how the teachers joined the classes to learn the other styles. Like seeing Cee Cee next you in class? Or Tomtom? That was crazy! And the food was so good! I even enjoyed the breaks where we could all just talk to each other. I think the panel discussion was very informative as well.
Question #3
Answer: I would like it to remain in that lovely venue. I would want port two of all the same instructors. That good food again. I really enjoy the weekend so much I didn’t have a thought of “I wish they planned to do this or that”. I just want to do exactly what you did all over again. I need to keep practicing though!
Question #4
Answer: This was an incredible event, Ogo + Staff. There was one point during the panel as I was looking up at all the diverse talent of the Diaspora and felt like a kid at Dance Camp. My inner child is very much happy and I look forward to more play. Thank you for injecting the region with Afro-Culture and bringing bodies together to experience a glimpse of African joy.
Clarity and connection
Mayinda is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that authentically educates and celebrates African cultures through arts, cultural experiences, and community collaboration.
Mayinda's current engagements are AfroDance Experience, AfroDance Sessions, and Return to Roots. Each provides a distinct way for artists and communities to share knowledge, strengthen relationships, and celebrate African cultural heritage.
You can contribute through Mayinda's secure Zeffy donation form. Organizations and individuals may also contact Mayinda about sponsorships, partnerships, and other forms of support.
Use Contact Us in the Sponsors and Partners section. The form opens with Sponsorship inquiry as the subject and includes your name, organization, email address, optional phone number, and sponsorship message.
Use the Contact Us form to introduce yourself, describe your artistic practice or community interest, and identify the engagement you would like to learn more about.
Build the relationship
Support authentic African arts and help build thriving communities.
Contact Mayinda
Share your inquiry below. It will be sent securely to Mayinda.
