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Philadelphia's Afrocentric Storytelling Group
KOTC Logo (C) 1996 Columbus Knox
“Telling Our Story Claiming Our Glory,”
Message 2025
“Telling Our Story Claiming Our Glory,” is the motto of Keepers
of The Culture, Inc. (KOTC), Philadelphia’s Afrocentric
Storytelling Group. It draws stories upon oceans deep
of Black experience, told within traditions of the
“Jali – West African Storyteller,” and heard by audiences
of every nationality, ethnicity, and background around the world.
“Telling Our Story, Claiming Our Story” carries
with it in 2025 the energy of “Call and Response”. KOTC hears
the call, …“ KOTC - Tell the Story,” and KOTC providing quality
Black storytelling workshops and labs where people may learn the craft of
telling our story, is the response.
Destiny calls KOTC in 2025 to …“Bring the Story Home In All
Its Glory.” It directs us to now pull together – collective work and
responsibility endures; create impactful partnerships and artistic collaborations; and then on the global stage from classrooms to the courtroom, to the streets, to our stoops – proudly perform our story in all its glory. Response KOTC heeds destiny’s call as follow, “We are KOTC 2025 strong, willing and ready to tell the story and claim its glory. KOTC 2025 all in and accounted for”
KOTC 2025 Message To The Storytellers
With bonds of unity tight
KOTC gathers stories of culture and legacy
Elated to be amongst ones we greet
Hearing The Ancestors call
“KOTC Telling Our Story, Claiming Our Glory”
We seriously meet
See you in 2025
Yours Respectfully,
Keepers of The Culture Leadership Council (KLC)
NFA
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Contact KOTC by email
Our Mission Statement
Keepers Of The Culture, Inc. KOTC, or ("Khotsi") of Philadelphia is an educational, cultural art organization which seeks to perpetuate the African and African-American oral tradition.
We recognize the traditional African storytellers - griot's - were the true "Keepers Of The Culture." The griot's role as historians of the community helped people maintain a strong, positive sense of self and a clear understanding of the values of the community and the individual's role in the community.
The storyteller/griot presence insured that the history, culture and values of a people would be passed on in their own words.
We intend to highlight, reinforce and pass on the history and culture of African-Americans and their antecedents, to educate and nurture individual and collective self-esteem and foster pride of culture in our community-especially in our children.
Our objective is to do this by offering performances, workshops, seminars, mini-festivals and collaborations with other cultural arts organizations and artists of various disciplines in the Philadelphia area.
FIHANKRA - Adinkra symbol for a house of security, safety & unity.
JALI AND JALIMUSO
The Jali (jaa-lee) (male) and the Jalimuso (jaa-lee-muu-so) (female) are the practitioners of Jaliyaa (jaa-lee-yaa) in the Mande Diaspora of West Africa.
They are praise singers, storytellers, genealogists,
storytellers and negotiators. Jeliw (jeh-lew) (plural) perform a variety of roles in the community, and are messengers of good and bad news, e.g. birth, baptism, naming ceremonies, weddings, community meetings, war and death.
The Djali play the 21-stringed kora (kaw-ruh), xhalam(kha-lam), ngoni (ung-gow-nee) or Balafon (bal-laa-fon) during performances. The instrument of the Jalimuso is the nege (neh-gee), karinya (kar-inya) or karinyan, a tubular piece of metal,usually iron, that is struck with a metal stick.
The term griot (gree-ow) (male) and griotte (gri-otte) (female) is a French term preferred by European scholars to describe the Jali or Jalimuso.
The term became widely disseminated in the United States and the Caribbean upon the publication of the book Roots
(1976) by Alex Haley. African-Americans have embraced
the term as a positive and esteemed position in the culture.
Caroliese Frink Reed, M.S.L.S., Ph.D.
MOTHERLAND VOCABULARY PHONETIC SPELLING
Akwaaba- (ahk-wah-bah)
Fihankra – (fee-ank-ra)
Djali – (djal-i)
Djalimuso – (djal-i-mu-so)
Aya- (eye -ya)
Keepers Of The Culture is an affiliate of NABS
The National Association of Black Storytellers, Inc.
24/7 - 365
We support Kwanzaa principals in our community year round!
Dance! Drum! Sing! Tell A Story!
KOTC's dynamic storytellers enrich, educate, enlighten & entertain, everyone, everywhere!