Hanifa Nelson-Kamau

Storyteller

Bio: Hanifa Nelson-Kamau (Storyteller/Swing) originally from Boston, Hanifa now resides in Ashburnham, MA and is making her ACON debut. As a young person, she attended the Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts and worked with the National Association for African American Artists on various projects. Her vocal, acting, and limited dance skills were heavily influenced by her involvement with these groups. She has performed for and with many notable people such as Josh Groban, Rosa Parks, Maya Angelo, Ruby Dee, Nelson Mandela and countless political figures and sports celebrities. Some of her most meaningful and memorable roles she played are the powerful and determined Effie White in Dreamgirls, The sassy and soulful Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray, The very hysterical Gary Coleman in Avenue Q, The meddling neighbor, Jarene, in The Color Purple along with carving a time to perform in Langston Huges’s Black Nativity seasonally.