What Up Doe?! This week on the Black Fridays Podcast, we move to the rhythm of culture, history, and healing with Ajara, founder and director of TeMaTe Dance Institute, a Detroit-based organization preserving and teaching traditional West African dance and drumming. What started as a personal passion has grown into a cultural movement that empowers youth, connects generations, and celebrates the beauty of African heritage through performance and education.

In this conversation, Ajara shares how dance became her voice, her mission to make the arts accessible to everyone, and the importance of keeping cultural traditions alive in modern Detroit. She discusses how TeMaTe serves as both a creative space and a cultural bridge—bringing people together to celebrate movement, mindfulness, and meaning.

We’re talking:

* How TeMaTe Dance Institute is preserving African dance traditions in Detroit

* Making arts education accessible to every body and every background

* How dance connects generations and communities

* Why cultural preservation is key to Detroit’s creative future

Tap in for a soulful, movement-filled conversation that celebrates culture, connection, and the transformative power of dance.

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