African in the Diaspora

African popular music (also styled Afropop,  Afro-pop or Afro pop), like African traditional music,  is vast and varied. Most contemporary genres of African popular music  build on cross-pollination with western popular music. Many genres of popular music like blues, jazz, afrobeats, salsa, zouk, and rumba derive to varying degrees on musical traditions from Africa, taken to  the Americas by enslaved Africans. These rhythms and sounds have  subsequently been adapted by newer genres like rock, and rhythm and blues. Likewise, African popular music has adopted elements, particularly the musical instruments and recording studio techniques of western music. The term does not refer to a specific  style or sound but is used as a general term for African popular music.

In this production of Irin Ajo, Bi-Okoto is proud to collaborate with the Footprints of David Art Academy, the Ijolomo Dance Company led by Rasheed Ibrahim and Theatre Centrik led by Tony Biyi Boyede.  All of these organizations are based in  Nigeria.   The artists from these  amazing academies will be virtually  transported and included in this production!

Footprints of David is an art academy established on 30th December 2005. They teach  toddlers and teenagers how to harness their creative side in the form of  arts, drama and dance.

Ijolomo Dance Company was founded in 2017 in Lagos with the aim of working with young ,  talented and creative minds who have chosen “ART” as their field and  especially dance as their specialty area.  Ijolomo dance company uses  dance, poetry and music to educate and inform and also inspire it’s  audience.

Theatre Centrik is led by Tony Biyi Boyede.  Biyi is an accomplished Nigerian artist  now living in the United States.  He is a director, dancer, teacher,  drummer, acrobat, producer, write , choreographer … you name it!!   He  has performed with a myriad of choirs and dance companies including the  Nigerian Choir, Laz Ekwueme and Angel Voices just to mention a few.   We  are proud to have him on stage for this production!

Zeynab Habib (born Oloukèmi Zeynab Abibou; September 25, 1975) is a Yoruba Beninese singer of world music born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. She won the Kora Awards in 2005 in the Category  Best Female Artist in West Africa and has been Unicef's National Goodwill Ambassador since 2007.

Zeynab's father was an electronics engineer and her mother was a  trader. She is the eighth child to her parents and was raised in a large  Muslim family with more than 16 other siblings.

Growing up, Zeynab engaged herself in music related school  competitions. She later enrolled at the General Education College of  Allada in 1993. Although she completed the series A at her senior  secondary school, she dropped out to pursue a career in music. She then started to make local stage appearances including hosting a  Karaoke Bar at the Alex's Hotel in Cotonou, Benin for more than a year.

Zeynab received international recognition for her music including  from UNICEF. As of October 2015, she was the national ambassador for  UNICEF in Benin.

During a music recital in 2005, she caught the attention of the  Super Quartz orchestra who later recruited her to sing for them. This  opened up opportunity for her to meet and partner with notable musicians  of that time including Fifi Rafiatou, Awilo Logomba, Jacky Rapon, Jimmy  Hope, Nel Oliver (fespam, Congo), Back Médio, KiriKanta and Madou Isbat