Twice Grammy award winning Nigerian percussionist, Lekan Babalola, is well known for his innovative musical style, using his native Yoruba tongue infused with traditional music, Afrobeat and funky dance overtones. In addition to being a talented musician, Lekan has also undertaken education work as part of his artistic programme and has on-going relationships both in the UK, USA, Europe, Caribbean and Africa as a percussionist, art curator tutor, band leader / composer and producer.
Dr Olu Taiwo is Senior Lecturer in Performing Arts at the University of Winchester. He has worked on identity and performance and is a well-established performer using digital technologies. He is engaged with critical debates around the interaction of body, technology and the environment.
Together, Lekan and Olu will bring to the stage the Yoruba Sonnets – a unique experience, presented by two very talented, very different individuals. The Yoruba Sonnets pair spoken word poetry and mime from Dr Olu Taiwo with live music from Lekan Babalola’s Sacred Funk Quartet. The result is a unique performance of ancient Nigerian verse incorporating Afro-beat music and the contemporary sound of Western Funk.