About The Sirens
Siren – Protectors of the Rainforest, Inc. is an African Ecological Arts organization dedicated to protecting and preserving the Central African Rainforest, because its health is inseparable from the health of our planet, its ecosystems, and its people.
Our “Siren Call” for the Rainforest
Through African dance, music, storytelling, and other cultural traditions, we use the arts as our “siren call” to educate, inspire, and mobilize communities to safeguard one of the world's most vital ecosystems while advancing environmental justice, cultural preservation, and community resilience.
Our artistic and educational programs celebrate the diverse cultures of Africa while raising awareness of the Central African Rainforest's essential role in regulating the global climate, protecting biodiversity, sustaining Indigenous and local communities, and providing medicines, food, and other natural resources that benefit everyone around the world.
By connecting African Ecological Arts with youth leadership, affordable housing, environmental stewardship, research, and systems change, we mobilize public support for strengthening environmental policies to ensure the long-term protection of the Central African Rainforest and the communities that come from or live in it.
Who We Are in Dance
See the movement, music, and stories that carry our siren call for the Central African Rainforest.
Founded in Brooklyn in 2008
Siren was created to demonstrate how African arts can inspire environmental stewardship and civic action. Today, Siren is an African Ecological Arts organization dedicated to protecting the Central African Rainforest — the Congo Basin — through artistic excellence, research, education, and advocacy.
We call our unified artistic vision African Ecological Arts: an interdisciplinary approach that integrates traditional African performance with education, public engagement, and advocacy. Rather than presenting culture solely for entertainment, our artists create immersive experiences that connect audiences to the histories, values, and ecological knowledge of Central Africa while encouraging dialogue and collective action.
At Nelson Mandela High School for Social Justice, our Ntakumbeng and Juju residencies combined traditional Central African dance, live music, storytelling, and cultural history into an original curriculum that culminated in student performances for the Black History Program. Through Community Conversations, Siren has facilitated hundreds of arts-based dialogues throughout Brooklyn.
Building on this foundation, Siren is expanding its practice through Dancing for Dignity, which combines dance, storytelling, and community engagement to address climate resilience. Looking ahead, Siren Commons will establish a permanent home where affordable housing, rehearsal and performance space, arts education, and community programming coexist.
Six Core Practice Areas
How African Ecological Arts comes to life.
Professional Performance
Authentic African dance traditions presented across New York, introducing audiences to the ecological importance of the Congo Basin.
Arts in Education
Residencies like our Ntakumbeng and Juju programs at Nelson Mandela High School for Social Justice.
Community Engagement
Hundreds of arts-based Community Conversations throughout Brooklyn on environmental justice and civic participation.
Humanities Programming
Storytelling and cultural history that connect audiences to the values and ecological knowledge of Central Africa.
Research
Cultural Expedition with AfricaWrites and a current research project on first-generation African migrants.
Advocacy
Mobilizing public support for stronger environmental policies to protect the Central African Rainforest.
Mafor Mambo Tse
A choreographer, performance artist, and environmental advocate, Mafor Mambo Tse was born in Cameroon (Ambazonia), raised in Texas, and is now based in Brooklyn, NY. With over 17 years of international workshops and performances, she brings the rich traditions of West African dance to audiences worldwide.
Crowned Mafor of Alahnkyi in 2016, she serves as the UNESCO Center for Peace Cultural Coordinator and has received the Novo Foundation Innovation in Programming Award and the Best Soukous Entertainer award from the International Reggae and World Music Awards.
Accountable Leadership
Siren is governed by an active Board of Directors that provides oversight of the organization's mission, finances, strategic direction, and compliance. The Board meets quarterly to review financial reports, organizational performance, program outcomes, and strategic priorities, with minutes maintained for every meeting.
Committees focus on governance, finance, fundraising, and organizational development. The annual budget is developed by staff, reviewed by the Finance Committee, and approved by the full Board. To strengthen internal controls, writing checks, depositing funds, and reconciling bank accounts are separated among three individuals.
In Fall 2026, the Board will convene its first strategic retreat to set long-term priorities — expanding African Ecological Arts, increasing sustainability, diversifying revenue, and advancing Dancing for Dignity and Siren Commons.
National Reach
Rooted in Brooklyn, growing across the nation.