About Us

Our Mission

Badenya Inc. (Being of One Mother) fortifies self-knowledge and cross-cultural understanding of African traditions
​by presenting and preserving Pan-African cultural heritage and artistic traditions in order to foster social cohesion.

What We Do

Founded in 1996 as an initiative of the Center for Traditional Music and Dance, Badenya attained independent, nonprofit 501 (c) (3) status in 2003. Badenya promotes cross-cultural understanding by sharing Pan-African artistic traditions with audiences across New York City through cultural events, including festivals, concerts, performances and workshops. It also strengthens the abilities of Pan-African communities to pass on traditions to new generations through education, publications, and films (“In Search of Finah Misa Kule”). Currently Badenya  and the people of Dankawalie village, Sierra Leone are co-creating holistic solutions to the educational, environmental, and cultural needs of the community while preserving and adapting the traditions of the village. The projects include Dankawalie Secondary School (DSS), a dynamic secondary school in a post-conflict remote rural village in Sierra Leone, which combines formal education and local traditions, and a solar grid that advances livelihoods by providing electrical power to the entire village.