Mama KoKu's Story

Mama Koku (a.k.a Donna "Kokumo" Buie) is a Master Storyteller and children's writer. She is also an educator who has taught children at all age levels, from pre-school to high school.

Koku graduated with honors from North Carolina Central University, majoring in Theatre Arts with concentrations in Performance and Education. During her studies at NCCU, she received several awards from both the Education and Drama departments for outstanding achievements in scholarship, performance and service. Mama Koku is a member of the Kuumba Storytellers of Georgia, The National Association of Black Storytellers, and the Southern Order of Storytellers.

Koku has performed as Featured Teller for The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site,  The National Black Arts Festival,  The Decatur Children's Festival,  Grant Park’s Summer Shade Festival,  Minneapolis' Signifyin' & Testifyin' Storytelling Festival,   Rhode Island’s Funda Fest, Jacksonville,  Florida’s Griot Festival,  The National Association of Black Storytellers Adopt-A-Teller Program (New Orleans),  Florida’s Panhandle Library System,  The Apex Museum,  The Wren's Nest,  The High Museum of Art,   Zoo Atlanta,  The Fulton County Arts Council,  and several church,  library,  school and private venues throughout Georgia.

In addition to all of this, Mama Koku’s fifteen minutes of fame includes her “small but pivotal role in the movie “The Color Purple”. If you book a performance and can recite one of her five  “crucial to the plot”,  lines she’ll give you a 5% discount!