A beautiful piece featuring drummers, percussionists and rhythms from around the world, produced for the United Nations:
"Rhythm is the center of humanity.
One who knows rhythm knows the world."
This 2.5-minute special performance and video feature Mickey Hart (Grateful Dead) along with legendary percussionists Sikiru Adepoju, Zakir Hussain, Giovanni Hidalgo, and a posthumous appearance by the West African drum virtuoso Babatunde Olatunji.
Supporting the aforementioned is a cast of 70 traditional drummers in India, led by Zakir Hussain, legendary Puerto Rican percussionist (and father of Giovanni Hidalgo) José Manuel Hidalgo "Mañengue" along with singers and support drummers from that great island, in addition to dancers from Ghana and a 5000 person drum circle led by Mickey Hart!
The song and video are set to the most referenced and universally used rhythm called 'clave'. The clave is the basis, serving as a skeletal rhythmic figure, around which various drums and percussion are played in most African, Caribbean, South American, and New Orleans music, amongst others.
Through the rhythms of this song, hearts are connected and differences disappear, illuminating how deeply humanity is interconnected and revealing the truth of the adage: we are one.
This musical production was part of a special opening to the UN General Assembly high-level meeting taking place on 22 September 2021 in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA) on the theme "Reparations, racial justice and equality for people of African descent".
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