About ANAM
Transforming Lives Through Music and Education!
The Agape National Academy of Music (ANAM) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to unlocking potential and restoring hope through the transformative power of music and education. We believe that every child deserves access to opportunity, creative expression, and a strong sense of community—regardless of income or background.
We go beyond music lessons. We cultivate leaders, bridge literacy gaps, and nurture confidence in children and youth from underserved communities. Through accessible, high-quality instruction rooted in Christian values and Liberian culture, we equip young people to become agents of change, cultural preservation, and national renewal.
Mission
Our mission is to transform lives and strengthen communities by providing free and affordable, high-quality music education in a nurturing, Christian-based environment. We enrich our programs with integrated literacy support, homework help, and life skills. We empower young people through leadership development, academic support, and cultural expression that celebrates Liberia’s rich artistic heritage.
Since our founding in 2008, we’ve been equipping children, youth, and young adults—especially those from underserved communities—with skills in music performance, theory, and leadership. We also address literacy gaps and promote girls’ empowerment through targeted, holistic programs.
Grounded in Christian values, we combine instrumental and vocal training with community engagement and holistic education. Our mission is to develop creative, confident, and compassionate leaders who use the power of music and education to promote healing, preserve culture, and contribute to Liberia’s rebuilding.
We envision a thriving Liberia where every child and young person has access to transformative music education in a nurturing, Christ-centered environment. We strive to raise generations of creative, confident, and compassionate leaders by integrating music, literacy, and life skills with Christian values. We believe in empowering youth to use their gifts to serve their communities, celebrate Liberia’s cultural heritage, and play an active role in the healing and renewal of our nation.
Our Objectives –
- Provide High-Quality Music Education
To offer accessible, free, and affordable music instruction in theory, instrumental and vocal performance, ensemble participation, and culturally rooted musical traditions. - Integrate Holistic Youth Development Programs
To incorporate literacy support, homework assistance, and life skills training into the core music curriculum to support the academic and personal growth of all students. - Foster Leadership and Empowerment
To develop leadership potential in children and youth—especially girls—through mentorship, leadership training, and character-building activities that promote self-confidence and community engagement. - Uphold and Model Christian Values
To operate all programs in a Christ-centered environment, where students are encouraged to grow in integrity, compassion, service, and faith—reflecting Christian values in both learning and leadership. - Celebrate and Preserve Liberian Culture
To promote pride in Liberia’s musical and artistic heritage through performance opportunities, traditional music integration, and community-based cultural engagement. - Expand Access to Underserved Communities
To identify and enroll students from underserved communities, ensuring equitable access to arts education and support services. - Build Sustainable Community Impact
To train students not only as musicians but as agents of positive change—prepared to give back through church, school, and community leadership rooted in service and faith.
Restoring Hope Through Music: The Story of Liberia and ANAM
Liberia entered the new millennium carrying the scars of two brutal civil wars that spanned over 15 years and claimed the lives of an estimated 250,000 people. These conflicts devastated every facet of the nation—destroying infrastructure, collapsing institutions, and displacing thousands. A mass exodus of professionals left the country with an acute shortage of skilled labor, creating a profound and lasting brain drain. The cultural sector, especially the arts, suffered immensely. The vibrant traditions of music, storytelling, and performance that once unified communities were silenced or reduced to fragments.
Nowhere was this more evident than in the realm of music. Once a vital part of Liberia’s identity, music education and performance became virtually nonexistent. Liberia’s rich musical heritage—passed down orally for generations—was at risk of being lost forever. The few remaining artists were largely self-taught, untrained, and without the resources to rebuild what had been destroyed. In the wake of trauma, the need for healing and cultural restoration was urgent.
It was in this landscape that the vision for the Agape National Academy of Music (ANAM) was born.
The vision came from Samson Tarpeh, a survivor of Liberia’s civil war, who lost close family members and experienced personal devastation during the conflict. In search of healing, his father took him to the First Baptist Church in Caldwell, New Georgia, where Samson joined the music ministry. It was there—among hymns, piano keys, and the embrace of a loving community—that he found not just recovery, but renewal. Music became his path to healing, discipline, self-confidence, and ultimately, faith. It was through this experience that he came to accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.
Samson’s story is not an isolated one. His transformation through music inspired a calling: to ensure that other young Liberians—especially those emerging from war, poverty, and hardship—could have access to the same life-giving opportunities that changed his life. He envisioned a school that would not only preserve Liberia’s musical heritage but would also nurture the next generation of musicians, educators, and leaders.
In June 2008, that vision took form as the Agape National Academy of Music (ANAM), co-founded by Samson Tarpeh, Alexander J. Brooks, Hassan Sankary, and Owens Freeman. ANAM was launched later that year on November 29, 2008, with a Grand Musical Concert at the Centennial Memorial Pavilion in Monrovia—a symbolic moment of cultural revival and hope.
Since then, ANAM has grown into a beacon of healing, creativity, and opportunity. It provides high-quality, affordable music education to children, teens, and adults, integrating instruction in music with literacy support, leadership training, and personal development. By doing so, ANAM continues to write a new chapter in Liberia’s story—one where the sound of music once again fills homes, churches, and communities, reminding us all of the power of art to restore, unite, and transform.
Our Global Partner: ANAM Georgia
ANAM Georgia is the U.S.-based partner and extension of the Agape National Academy of Music (ANAM), established in 2021 and incorporated in the state of Georgia. While it plays a key role in supporting ANAM Liberia through fundraising, strategic planning, and advocacy, ANAM Georgia is also launching its own community-based music education programs for children and families across Georgia, USA.
With a shared mission to transform lives through music, ANAM Georgia offers accessible music programming—including piano lessons, group music classes, and culturally diverse music experiences—to children from under-resourced communities in the Atlanta area and beyond.
Together, ANAM Liberia and ANAM Georgia form a global movement rooted in healing, education, and cultural exchange—using music as a tool to build bridges, unlock creativity, and nurture the next generation of leaders both in West Africa and the United States.
📧 Contact ANAM Georgia
🌐 ANAM Georgia
Our Funding Partners