A Denver man who teaches African drumming classes had his car stolen, along with four of his prized drums inside the vehicle.
The theft happened at about 8:45 p.m. Sunday in an apartment complex parking lot in the 9600 block of East Gerard Avenue.
“It was really unreal,” said Manny Annang, the drummer. “To see my car gone, I panicked, it was very emotional. The drums were in the car, what am I going to do?”
Annang said he was doing laundry at the time of the theft and didn’t see or hear anything when the crime happened. He called police, an officer stopped by in a couple of hours and Annang filed a report.
The car stolen is a silver, four-door 2015 Hyundai Elantra with Colorado license plate MQN 757. There is a Pikes Peak Brewing bumper sticker on the rear of the car. The four drums stolen were in the trunk of the vehicle.
Annang teaches classes and workshops through Soul Rhythm African Drumming. He now has no vehicle to get to classes, as well as drumming performances along the Front Range. He described two of the instruments as “djembe” drums, and the other two as “dundun” drums. He estimated the value at about $2,500.
“They are very important, they add to the performances we do, they sound different” than other drums played in a group setting, he said.
Annang started drumming as a teenager, and he’s been playing for about 10 years. Also inside the stolen Hyundai was a child car seat for his 3-year-old son.
“He is a ray of sunshine,” said Caitlin Bronza-Smith, a colleague and friend of Annang. “It’s broken our hearts, it is already tough enough being an artist. He literally had his way of making a living stolen.”
Bronza-Smith is director of Bella Diva World Dance. Her dance studio has started a fundraiser to help Annang.
People can contribute through a Venmo account @Caitlin-Brozna, PayPal to email info@belladivadance.com, or make checks payable to Emmanuel Annang and mail to: Bella Diva World Dance, 4309 E. Mississippi Ave., Glendale, CO 80246.
“It’s like you’ve lost something that is so important to you,” Annang said. “I have to go to places to share this music, to teach.”
Annang has filed insurance claims since the incident. Police have not contacted him about any developments.
“I’m managing everything as best as possible,” he said.
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