By Greg Chrapek
WKTV Contributor
greer@wktv.org
Up tonight in the Kentwood Summer Concert Series is Motherland House Concerts, who will bring the vibrant sounds of Africa to the lawn behind Kentwood City Hall.
The concert runs from 7 to 8:30 p.m. behind City Hall, 4900 Breton Ave. SE.
Along with the concert, food trucks will be on hand and the Kentwood Farmers Market will be a celebration of Kentwood culture with colorful textiles, savory spices and more. The Market takes place next door in the parking lot behind City Hall from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Concert goers will be in for a musical and cultural treat with the performance from Motherland House Concerts. The group is a collection of vocalists and instrumentalists from across the world who come together to give concertgoers a taste of the music from around the world.
The idea for the group came from Mirabel Umenei (Myra Maimoh), a vocalist with the group and also the founder and CED of Motherland Cultural Connections.
Umene, originally from Cameroon, immigrated to the United States in 2011. After getting her Masters Degree in West Virginia, she then moved to Grand Rapids where she pursued her dream of performing her blend of music and storytelling from her background in Cameroon.
Umenei got her break when she was able to perform at the former Rising Grinds Café on Madison Ave. and Hall in Grand Rapids.
“They were hosting house concerts and that is where I got my big break,” Umenei said. “People liked the mix of singing and storytelling and eventually the crowds became big enough that we ran out of space and needed to find a larger venue.”
Umenei came up with the idea of the group out of necessity as both an immigrant and a newcomer to the music scene in the Grand Rapids area.
Group founded in 2016
“We started the group in 2016,” Umenei said. “I came to Grand Rapids and was looking for avenues to perform and showcase my music. I looked around and accessed the situation. Like other immigrants, I was new to the area and had no idea where to get started.”
From there, the group grew with different artists and a multitude of different backgrounds getting together in the group and bringing their styles and skills to the group.
“We have many different nationalities,” Umenei said. “We have artists from Kenya, the two Congos, Ghana, Nigeria, the Ivory Coast, Taiwan and other countries.”
Not only are the members from a variety of countries, but the music they bring to the group covers a vast spectrum along with specific music from the variety of countries the group members represent.
“We have different vocalists and instrumentalists,” Umenei said. “We have musicians from different styles and different genres. At the end of the day it gives our audience a great musical experience.”
Along with music, the group also includes storytelling and shares stories and elements of the different countries members of the group originated from.
“Our goal is to educate and have fun”
“When we perform our goal is to educate and have fun,” Umenei said. “Our focus is on the storytelling and music. I’m very proud of how far we have come as a group and I’m also very thankful for the support from the community and the people who come to our shows.”
“More meaningful night on Juneteenth”
This week’s show is taking place on Juneteenth, and that makes Thursday’s show all the more meaningful.
“It is a day that all of us can celebrate,” Umenei said. “We can celebrate the great progress made by immigrants from Africa, African-Americans and Africans that have been living in America for hundreds of years. It’s a day we can celebrate all our different cultures It’s a day we can learn about each other and share our culture. We want to heal hearts and bring joy and healing to the community.”
