Fely Tchaco, a winner of a 2012 Independent Music Award in the “Best World Beat Song” category, was featured at this year’s World Cultures Day assembly, Nov. 22.
A singer, dancer and artist, Tchaco is from the Ivory Coast, a country in West Africa. She currently lives in San Francisco, where she performs in English, French, and Gouro (the language spoken by many in the Ivory Coast).
In a style she calls “Tribal Pop,” Tchaco tries to create modern music while retaining the African sound.
World Cultures Day is a yearly tradition to raise awareness of the school’s global community.
Set up by the World Languages department, the tradition is comprised of a culturally inspired performance as well as specific activities for high school, middle school, and lower school.
Having brought a variety of acts from different cultures for the previous World Cultures Day, the department tries hard to find artists that embody the spirit of the day. French teacher Richard Day knows one of the members of Tchaco’s band.
In her lively performance, Tchaco invited students with her on stage in the gym—including senior Savannah Symister—to teach them how to dance.
“It felt really exhilarating,” Symister said. “It was nice that she gave us that opportunity.”
Later a large number of lower-school, middle-school, and even some high-school students flooded the stage to dance with Tchaco.
