Themba Arts and Culture is a 501(C)3 tax exempt not-for-profit organization with a mission to preserve and promote the rich cultural heritage of African – America, Africa and other groups in the African - Diaspora. The word Themba (pronounced Tem-ba) means hope in Xhosa, the indigenous language of South Africa, and the mother tongue of the late South African President Nelson Mandela. It also references Nyame Biribi Wo Soro, the Ashanti adinkra symbol from Ghana pictured in our logo, which is also a symbol of hope. It is music, and other arts, that have historically fostered hope for Afro-descendants in the face of oppression, along with courage, strength and endurance. From antiquity to medieval kingdoms and empires on the African Continent, into slavery times, to the Civil Rights Movement and beyond, our unique history has revealed the mystery of transcendence through our music, visual arts traditions, dance, storytelling, crafts and poetry. African American culture is an international treasure. Themba Arts and Culture is the corporate structure for programs that are a part of the Ethnomusicology In Action project.
