ABBEVILLE, La. — The rhythmic drumming echoed through the Abbeville Library on Wednesday morning as Pucci Percussion Positive Beat Inc. performed in celebration of Juneteenth.
The group, led by director Herbert Green, has used drumming as a mentoring tool for over 15 years. Founded as a way to connect with youth and build confidence through music, Pucci Percussion Positive Beat Inc. now includes about 20 participants aged 4 to 15.
“This group is Kundi La Goma, it means ‘small group of drummers,’” Green said. “These guys have been around the longest and they pretty much know the show.”
The five young drummers performed with Green on Wednesday. They all come from the Acadiana region, specifically Lafayette and Opelousas. While Wednesday’s performance included a smaller ensemble, the whole group has performed at larger events such as Festival International and Juneteenth celebrations around the state and even as far as New York.
“The drums are very significant in African American heritage,” Green said. “Coming to places like Abbeville gives kids on both sides of the corner an opportunity to see something traditional, something authentic. And it’s being played by the descendants of enslaved people.”
For Green, the goal is about more than music. It’s about creating opportunity.
“The biggest takeaway for me is to see our kids doing something positive,” he said. “Maybe that will spark something in them. I think that’s the tradition of Juneteenth … to give people the opportunity to be free in whatever they do.”
Pucci Percussion will continue its Juneteenth tour with performances Wednesday at 2 pm in Maurice and later at 6 pm at the Lafayette Convention Center.
