Lily Kharrazi, ACTA Special Projects Director
迪乌夫Zakarya
February 12, 1938 – October 9, 2021
在国家艺术基金会为纪念2020年国家遗产研究员而制作的电影致敬中, 我们听到 迪乌夫Zak的S的声音叙述一段. As the dancers and drummers of Diamano Coura 西非 跳舞 Company rehearse a complex passage of choreography, 他说, “…it’s a new generation; it evolves from the preceding one…the tradition is already 在这里, 你只需要把它传递下去.“作为西非艺术家和导师，扎克·迪乌夫和娜奥米·迪乌夫的艺术和领导力得到了国家对传统艺术家的最高荣誉的认可. 去感谢扎克爸爸, as he was affectionately called by many, is to embrace a story of an individual, a husband and wife artistic team, 一家之主, and a mentor to an entire community.
ACTA has enjoyed a long relationship with the Diouf family, 不仅通过学徒计划和生活文化资助计划支持他们的工作, but also from the strong presence of ACTA former board member, Esailama Arty-Diouf, 撒克和拿俄米的女儿. We have been proud to support their exemplary work but much more than that, 他们为自己和社区树立了榜样，我们从中受益良多. On behalf of the ACTA staff and board of directors, we send our condolences and love to the Diouf family and community.
On December 11, a Celebration of Life was held in Oakland. 同时承认一个社区的中坚力量将不再以物质形式存在, the day was meant for the community, in truth the extended “family” of students, 艺术家和其他人, 与来访的艺术大师一起上舞蹈课，并与扎克·迪乌夫创立的公司一起参加晚间音乐会, Diamano Coura 西非 跳舞 Company (meaning those who bring the message in Wolof). 他的家族中有8个孩子，他们作为舞团的舞蹈演员积极地参与到维持这一传统中来, 鼓手和教师. With 12 grandchildren poised to participate, 四十多年来，迪乌夫家族一直并将继续为奥克兰成为非洲舞蹈研究的中心做出贡献.
我们从ACTA代表迪乌夫夫妇为国家遗产奖学金发起的提名信中摘录了一些hg体育平台扎卡里亚·迪乌夫的故事和迪乌夫遗产的历史和观点, the nation’s highest honor recognizing folk and traditional arts:
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To appreciate the impact of 迪乌夫Zakarya, 在奥克兰和旧金山湾区成熟的背景下理解他的作品是至关重要的. This was the Oakland of the Black Panthers and activism. 20世纪60年代的黑人艺术运动激起了人们对失去的和想象中的与非洲祖国的联系的渴望. 舞者和鼓手广泛参与到当时的泛非活动中，作为黑人自豪感的标志，因此非洲艺术家的到来是及时的. 迪乌夫Zakarya was the first culture-bearer to arrive, followed by C.K. Ladzepko of Ghana, and Malonga Casquelourd of Brazzaville, Congo. This synchronicity of master artists is a part of a chapter in the anthology, Hot Feet and Social Change: African 跳舞 and Diaspora Communities, (Esailama Diouf编辑, Kariamu威尔士, 和伊冯·丹尼尔). Dr. Halifu Osumare, UC Davis Professor Emerita of Africana Studies, 她在一篇hg体育平台奥克兰舞蹈历史的文章中写道:“……来自非洲大陆的传统非洲舞蹈以其‘灵魂的强烈自由’开始注入已经在非洲散居者舞蹈中‘成长’起来的社区。.” Dr. Osumare refers to the influence of pioneer dancer and researcher, 凯瑟琳·邓纳姆, who codified a movement technique based upon ethnographic fieldwork in the Caribbean. 邓纳姆技术, a strong mix of modern dance and African Diaspora movement, had already influenced and produced a cache of skilled dancers. 露丝的贝克福德, a former Dunham company member, 通过奥克兰公园和娱乐部门在当地教授舞蹈，东湾的许多黑人艺术家第一次接触舞蹈训练都是在她的帮助下进行的. Beckford and the Dunham lineage. 也正是由于邓纳姆小姐的眼光独到，扎克·迪乌夫才第一次来到美国. Meeting in Dakar in 1996 at the First World Festival of Negro Arts, he agreed to join Ms. 邓纳姆建立了她的表演艺术学院与南伊利诺伊大学在东圣. 路易. This also became an opportunity to earn his first Ph.D. in biochemistry at the University of Chicago. A second doctorate in ethnomusicology was earned at UC Berkeley in later years.
Before Zak immigrated in 1969, 他曾担任多个国家芭蕾舞团的艺术总监:几内亚非洲芭蕾舞团(1963年), National Ballet of Senegal (1964-68), and prior to these distinguished companies, he lead the Mali 跳舞 Ensemble, comprised of artists from Mali, 塞内加尔和几内亚. 这家公司为民族主义提供了一则轶事，这种民族主义以政治界限将民族群体分开. 虽然这一实验是短暂的，但这些国家又回到了民族主义的野心, Zak embodied a living compendium of history having experienced the region’s colonial rule, 它的独立性, 而且重要的是, the artistic distillation of diverse cultural practices in performance. 而由国家赞助的舞蹈公司的民族代表可能会因为简化了舞台表演的身份复杂性而产生问题, the system also produced some of the world’s extraordinary talent. A large number of African master artists in the diaspora today share this training.
对于Zak, 一份生物化学方面的工作让他来到了旧金山湾区，也让他想起了在维度舞蹈剧院工作, another anchor organization in the story of Oakland’s dance history. With the establishment of a home base, Naomi became the artistic director of the performing company, Diamano Coura. With company classes three times a week for dancers and the music ensemble, 该公司拥有大量的曲目，反映了来自扎克和娜奥米各自的塞内加尔和利比里亚的特定种族，以及来自马里的材料, 几内亚, 科特迪瓦, 和冈比亚. They have featured dances of the Kpellé, Kru, Vai, Gio, Loma and Grebo ethnic groups. This specificity is what distinguishes the work of Diamano Coura. Their contributions to expanding, 深化, 提供这种程度的文化沉浸已经推动了一个社区的舞蹈和鼓乐艺术家达到更高的艺术性. 其结果是通过非洲人民的多样性，对非洲进行了复杂的介绍和理解, 语言, 仪式, 信仰, 服装, 和面具. 该剧团在美国主要剧院和大学进行了广泛的演出, 加拿大和欧洲. In 1977, they toured Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Senegal and Mali.
The Dioufs have consulted across genres as well, notably working to create “Lamberena” with Val Carniporili for the 旧金山 Ballet, 使用J.S. 巴赫和加蓬的音乐. This collaborative work found further life with other U.S. and European companies after its premiere in 1995. 1976年，扎克凭借在《hg体育平台》(Alex Haley’s Roots part I)中的表演获得艾美奖, 在他获得的众多奖项中. In 2005, along with the late congressional representative, Ron V. Dellums, 旧金山基金会授予扎克社区领袖奖，以表彰他在统一非洲文化艺术界方面的远见卓识，以及他作为众多年轻人的导师.
迪乌夫夫妇耕耘和培育的另一个重要领域是，他们成为了其他移民艺术大师的榜样，这些大师的职业生涯都是按照娜奥米妈妈(Mama Naomi)和扎克爸爸(Papa Zak)的轨迹进行的. 24年来, they have produced a dynamic four-day intensive known as Collage des Cultures Africaines. 该活动将居住在这里和国外的非洲移民艺术家聚集在一起教学和表演. To say that the building shakes from the inside out is hardly an exaggeration, as Collage是来自全国各地的严肃的舞蹈和鼓乐从业者的目的地节日.
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In the most traditional sense, 迪乌夫家族的八个孩子将继续扎卡里亚·迪乌夫的工作. 他们已经显著地参与了公司的活动，并且是自己的艺术家，他们跳舞, 打手鼓, 除了作为第二代美国人的其他广泛职业之外，他们还创造了王室. 然而,, the story is informed by all who affectionately and respectfully have called him Papa Zak, which number in the thousands. 通过帕帕扎克·迪乌夫我们学到了很多有形的和无形的东西他为这个领域做出了巨大的贡献他为我们打开了一扇通往非洲大陆部分地区的窗口就在奥克兰, 海湾地区, 加州, 美国.
Dr. 迪乌夫Zakarya will be buried in his beloved Senegal.
Contributions to his homecoming can be made 在这里.
