Kewulay Kamara
Mandeng Finah Poet & Storyteller
West African; Medeng Finah of Sierra Leone
Jackson Heights, NY
“With this Taproot Fellowship recognition of Finaya as a living oral tradition, I hear my ancestors' voices.”
Kewulay Kamara
Photo by Tom Pich
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A poet, multi-media storyteller, & lecturer
Kewulay Kamara is a poet, multi-media storyteller, and lecturer with a diverse background spanning culture, government, academia, and media. He holds a BA in Political Science and Literature from the State University of New York at Oneonta and an MA & ABD in Political Economy at New School for Social Research. Additionally, he obtained an MFA in Performance and Integrated Media Arts from Brooklyn College. With 25 years of lecturing experience at the City University of New York, Kamara currently serves as the UNESCO Chair of Foresight at the University of Makeni in Sierra Leone. He has contributed to publications such as The Journal of Future Studies and has authored research reports on topics such as the transition from youth to adulthood in Sierra Leone. Kamara is also a filmmaker known for documentaries like “In Search of Finah.”
Misa Kule: The Story of a People Who Live by the Word,” which explores Finah storytelling. His latest film, “Kani Kura,” delves into the history of those left behind the Middle Passage. Kamara is recognized for his contributions. He was named an Apex International Fellow in 2018 and named the International Alumni of the Year award from the State University of New York, Oneonta, in 2022. He is actively involved in initiatives such as Badenya Inc., an African arts presenting organization that established Dankawalie Secondary School, and the electrification project. In 2023, Badenya conducted the Makeni Festival of the Arts (Makfest) and LAPA Fest in Freetown (2023); in 2024, he led the first international gathering of the Finah since the partition of Africa: Finah Misa Kule, Origins of Ferensola. In Kamara has been performing and writing in Kuranko (a Kokan language) since 1987. In 2024, He was one of four artist(s) presented by Endangered Language Alliance in New York City.
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