East St. Louis became an epicenter for African drumming. A master keeps tradition alive.

By Post Dispatch

EAST ST. LOUIS — In the music room of the Sunshine Cultural Arts Center, Liam Jones, 13, and Ananzi Jennings, 12, sat waiting for the drum master.

The room was full of African drums, with framed photos of performers, maracas and other instruments lining shelves on the walls. After the master, Sylvester “Sunshine” Lee, walked in to start the lesson, the students each cradled a drum — called a djembe — between their knees as they began to hit the cowhide top with their palms. 

Lee led them, his left hand is wrapped in a bandage, as he kept time on a stack of bass drums. Suddenly the boys began to chant as they beat the djembes. They pulled ahead with the melody, while Lee maintained the rhythm.

"Good, good," Lee said smiling. "Give me another one."

The boys continued to play as Kenosha Ivory, 32, watched from across the room. She first started dancing with Lee's performance ensemble when she was 7. She's now a dance instructor for the group. 

"Growing up in East St. Louis, it was a struggle," she said. "He built something to keep us out of the streets."

He's also helped build on East St. Louis' history as an epicenter for African drumming, an art form tied to storytelling and the preservation of African folklore. Former students have opened studios in various parts of the country, and others have become stars in the industry. Read more here