Emmanuel Poku

Emmanuel Attah Poku is a prominent master drummer from the Ashanti Region of Ghana, West Africa. Born and raised inside the walls of the Ashanti King's palace, Attah began training with his grandfather when he was only five years old, and officially joined the Ashanti King's drum ensemble when he was ten. Performing as lead drummer for the Kumasi Centre for National Culture, the Ashanti King's Fontomfrom ensemble, and the renowned Nsuase Kete group, Attah has toured Africa extensively, playing in Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Togo, and Benin. Attah is currently based in Boston, Massachusetts, where he directs the Kiniwe African Music and Dance Ensemble at Tufts University and is the Artistic Director of the Agbekor Drum and Dance Society, founded by Professor David Locke (Music Department, Tufts University.) Attah Poku has performed for internationally renowned figures such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Prince Charles of Wales, movie star Steven Seagal, heavyweight boxing champion Lennox Lewis, and presidents of many African nations including Ghana, Cote D'Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Togo, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Ethiopia. Workshops •Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Kumasi, Ghana) •University of Education (Winneba, Ghana) •Yaa Asantewaa Senior High School (Kumasi, Ghana) •Berklee College of Music •Hartt School of Music •UMASS Dartmouth •University of Michigan •West Virginia University •Simon Fraser University •University of Alabama