Now on SPOTIFY: Podcast Series 'MESSENGERS with OYIZA' Season 3

Don't miss MESSENGERS: with Oyiza - Season 3 on SPOTIFY! Bringing together the rich flavors of Africa's peoples, places and issues.

 


Africa-Related, New York


MESSENGERS: Bringing together the rich flavors of Africa's peoples, places and issues.


Podcast Series ‘Messengers with Oyiza’ on Spotify

MESSENGERS with Oyiza’ is an engaging interview TV/podcast series hosted by Nigerian journalist and producer Oyiza Adaba. Produced by Africa-Related and recorded remotely from New York and on location, the show blends relaxed conversations with interviews of selected guests who discuss topics about Africa for a global audience. The conversations aim to bridge divides, correct misconceptions, and spark positive discussion about Africa and its people. Each 30-minute episode features inspiring stories, creative graphics, video clips, and background reports. The series focuses on Africa's People, Places and Issues.

Master Designer, Architect and Builder DEMAS NWOKO on Messengers.

Afrobeat Saxophonist and Thespian DEDE MABIAKU on Messengers



Season 3 Episodes:

  • EP 1: Beatrice Bee, Arthur, and Felivian  - January 12, 2026

  • EP 2: Christopher Richards and Dean  -  January 19, 2026

  • EP 3: Nmadili Okwumabua - January 26, 2026

  • EP 4: Demas Nwoko - February 2, 2026

  • EP 5: Nnamdi Okonkwo - February 9, 2026

  • EP 6: Enos Nhlane Manthata - February 16, 2026

  • EP 7: Baba Ani - February 23, 2026

  • EP 8: Eedris Abdulkareem - March 2, 2026

  • EP 9: Amarachi Okafor - March 9, 2026

  • EP 10: Gasali Adeyemo - March 16, 2026

  • EP 11: Dede Mabiaku - March 23, 2026

  • EP 12: Lemi Ghariokwu - March 30, 2026

  • EP 13: Kofo Wonder - April 6, 2026

  • EP 14: Gogo Anyanwu - April 13, 2026


    Produced by Africa-Related
    Hosted by Oyiza Adaba



    Sponsorship
    Africa-Related Contact:
    info@africarelatedinc.com
    africarelatedinc.com/messengers
    @africarelatedinc


    Produced by Oyiza Adaba
    Music:  @thewordsbymoe  
    © An Africa-Related Production



#messengerswithoyiza  #africarelated #africarelatedinc #art #music #textiles #film #africa #artfilms #podcast #museum  #nigeria #demasnwoko  #architecture #design #fashion #authors #history


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Democracy on Trial: A Canadian Court’s Wake-Up Call for Nigeria

On June 17, 2025, far from Abuja, a Federal Court in Ontario, Canada, delivered a ruling that should shake every Nigerian who still believes in democracy. The case was not about a coup, an insurgency, or a terrorist cell in the usual sense. It was about our politics—our political parties—and the shocking conclusion of a court with no partisan interest in our affairs: Nigeria’s two dominant parties, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), have, through systemic violence and democratic sabotage, operated in ways tantamount to terrorism under Canadian law.

 


Democracy on Trial: A Canadian Court’s Wake-Up Call for Nigeria

By Bolaji O. Akinyemi

On June 17, 2025, far from Abuja, a Federal Court in Ontario, Canada, delivered a ruling that should shake every Nigerian who still believes in democracy. The case was not about a coup, an insurgency, or a terrorist cell in the usual sense. It was about our politics—our political parties—and the shocking conclusion of a court with no partisan interest in our affairs: Nigeria’s two dominant parties, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), have, through systemic violence and democratic sabotage, operated in ways tantamount to terrorism under Canadian law.

The case arose from an asylum application by Douglas Egharevba, a Nigerian politician who once belonged to the PDP. He sought refuge in Canada, citing political persecution. But Madam Justice Phuong T.V. Ngo upheld earlier findings that both PDP and APC have histories of political violence so entrenched that mere membership in either is grounds for inadmissibility under Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. The evidence laid before the court was damning: ballot stuffing, voter intimidation, violent suppression of opposition, and a culture of impunity stretching from the PDP’s early years in 2003 and 2004, through the APC’s more recent reigns.

The judge rejected the lazy excuse that “this is just how politics works in Nigeria,” calling it “circular and paradoxical.” In other words: if corruption and violence are the rules of the game, then the game is not democracy.

Why Nigerians Must Pay Attention

This was not a judgment written by an opposition politician, an activist blogger, or an NGO desperate for donor funding. This was a neutral, foreign court assessing our democracy through cold, legal reasoning—and finding it diseased at its core.

We can dismiss it as foreign meddling. We can wave it off as ignorance of our “complex realities.” But to do so would be to miss the point entirely. This ruling is a mirror, held up from afar, reflecting the ugly truth many Nigerians already know but are too fatigued, fearful, or compromised to confront: since 1999, our political system has been managed, not by political parties in the true sense of the word, but by political cartels.

What a Political Party Is Meant to Be

The word party suggests a gathering where everyone present has a voice, a stake, and a role. In political science, a party is an organized group bound by an ideology—shared beliefs about how society should be governed. It has rules that bind both leaders and members. It educates its members. It disciplines those who betray its values. It exists to serve the nation, not the personal ambitions of a clique.

By this definition, no political party in Nigeria today qualifies as a true party. We have electoral machines, not ideological movements. We have platforms for power capture, not schools of democratic thought. We have cults of personality, not communities of purpose.

This is why elections feel like recycling—moving from PDP’s failures to APC’s failures and back again—because the rot is not in the logo or the colours, but in the structure and culture.

The Two Choices Before 2027

This Canadian ruling leaves Nigerians with two stark choices:

1. Revolution from Within: Citizens—especially youths—must enter these parties en masse and fight for internal democracy. Demand charters of principles. Demand transparent primaries. Demand that violence and vote buying attract swift expulsion. Demand that ideology—not godfatherism—determines who leads.

2. Look Beyond the Cartels: Support smaller, disciplined parties that stand on clear principles and refuse to rent themselves out to power brokers. Build movements around ideas, not personalities. Yes, it will be hard. Yes, they may lose at first. But democracy is not a one-election project—it’s a culture we must build brick by brick.

We Must Redefine “Party” Before We Can Rebuild Nigeria

Until we fix how parties are structured, Nigeria cannot be fixed. You cannot have a functional nation without functional political parties. The party is the factory where leaders are produced, tested, and refined. If the factory is broken, every product will be defective—no matter the packaging.

Our failure to build ideological parties is why the same recycled elite move from platform to platform without shame. It is why parties have no policies beyond slogans. It is why governance feels the same no matter who wins.

The Path Forward

We must:

Demand legislation that ties party registration to internal democratic standards.

Push INEC to audit party constitutions and enforce compliance.

Build civic education campaigns that teach citizens what a political party truly is and why it matters.

Organize—not just to vote—but to shape the platforms we vote for.

Conclusion: A Foreign Court Has Done What Our Own Will Not

That a Canadian court could declare our ruling parties as violent actors should embarrass our judiciary, our electoral bodies, and our political elite. But embarrassment alone will change nothing. The question is: Will Nigerians use this as a turning point?

2027 will not save us if we walk into it with the same mindset that brought us here. Whether we reform the APC and PDP from within, or build credible alternatives from without, one truth remains: until Nigerians reclaim the ideology and structure of the political party, democracy will remain an empty ritual, and our nation a mismanaged project.

We can keep dancing at this masquerade of democracy—or we can crash the party, rewrite the rules, and host a new one worthy of Nigeria’s future.

Dr. Bolaji O. Akinyemi is an Apostle and Nation Builder. He’s also President Voice of His Word Ministries and Convener Apostolic Round Table. BoT Chairman, Project Victory Call Initiative, AKA PVC Naija. He is a strategic Communicator and the C.E.O, Masterbuilder Communications.

Email:bolajiakinyemi66@gmail.com

Facebook:Bolaji Akinyemi.

X:Bolaji O Akinyemi

Instagram:bolajioakinyemi

Phone:+2348033041236


 
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Oyiza Adaba Inducted into the Directors' Guild of Nigeria (DGN)

Lagos, Nigeria. Oyiza Adaba (Director: The Making of El Anatsui), Inducted into the Directors' Guild of Nigeria (DGN) on July 17, 2025



Africa-Related Lagos, Nigeria

Oyiza Adaba (Director: The Making of El Anatsui), Inducted into the Directors' Guild of Nigeria (DGN) on July 17, 2025.

 

New DGN inductee, Oyiza Adaba on the red carpet

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The long-anticipated solo exhibition Ozioma Onuzulike:

The long-anticipated solo exhibition Ozioma Onuzulike: Who Knows Tomorrow opened to an enthusiastic audience yesterday, 14th March 2025, at the Marc Straus Gallery in New York.

 

The long-anticipated solo exhibition Ozioma Onuzulike: Who Knows Tomorrow opened to an enthusiastic audience yesterday, 14th March 2025, at the Marc Straus Gallery in New York.

 
 

In Ozioma Onuzulike’s workshop in Nsukka, Nigeria, the fiery core of the kiln is a crucible of radical transformation. Within this space, the artist experiments, explores, and forges a universal language - one without a name, yet shared across borders. Here, art transcends national divisions, creating dialogues that connect rather than divide. Using pigments from the UK, clay from Nigeria, and exhibiting in New York, Onuzulike’s work speaks in a boundless, cross- cultural discourse.

A major source of inspiration for Onuzulike’s work is his mentor and teacher, Ghanaian sculptor El Anatsui, particularly his series of broken pots from the 1970s. Onuzulike extends these ideas to his art making; his process - cutting, smashing, and subjecting clay to violent force - mirrors historical ruptures, evoking war and colonial exploitation. Fire, both destructive and creative, is central to this narrative, transforming materials in an irreversible act of transmutation.

A recurring motif in Onuzulike’s work is the palm kernel, symbolising Africa’s extracted and discarded resources. Whether human or material, Africa has long been exploited without regard for ethics or sustainability. His work features palm kernel shells, both natural and clay-fabricated, together with glass, evoking Venetian trade beads historically used in transactions, including the transatlantic slave trade. Once a symbol of subjugation, these beads have re-emerged as markers of wealth and status - Onuzulike reclaims them, integrating the legacy of trade into contemporary cultural expression.

Deeply rooted in local traditions that have endured for centuries, Onuzulike draws inspiration from his surroundings, incorporating material and non-material heritage, from the intricate patterns of Kente and Babariga textiles to the impermanent lines of Uli design; from naming his works after figures of political and social significance to naming his heavy creations after types of clothing and armour - a purpose they can never serve. All of this informs his practice, adding layers of historical references and semiotic relationships that are evident not only in the forms and textures of his sculptures but also in their very names.

These themes can be seen in Royal Alkyabba, Onuzulike’s most ambitious work to date, a majestic large-scale cape comprised of over 35,000 individually cast ceramic pieces and palm kernels woven into a glorious tapestry. In another more playful work, FlaMboyant Armour for Femi Falana I, Onuzulike brings new colour, reverence, and humour to his oeuvre, naming the piece after Femi Falana, an important human rights activist in Nigeria, participating in a regional custom of naming children, fashion, and other acquisitions based on the circumstances of their birth or significant events of the time.

Onye ma echi—who knows tomorrow? This Igbo maxim echoes throughout Onuzulike’s work, embodying the unpredictability of history, identity, and transformation. Through ceramics, he navigates a complex web of associations, drawing on traditional practices of making, dressing, naming, and thinking to interrogate the shifting relationships between symbols and meaning. In a world of rapid political and environmental change, his work becomes a discourse on history and resilience, asking what is lost, what is reclaimed, and what the future might hold.

The gallery is proud to present Ozioma Onuzulike’s second solo exhibition in the United States. Onuzulike (b. 1972) is Professor of Ceramics and African Art History, and Director of the Institute of African Studies at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. His solo exhibitions include Seed Yams Of Our Land at the Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA), Lagos, Nigeria (2019), along with a presentation of his poetry collection of the same title also published by the CCA. His works were included in the exhibition at the Museum of Archeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge, UK, arising from the [Re:]Entanglements research project led by Professor Paul Basu. Onuzulike is a fellow of the Civitella Ranieri Centre, Umbertide, Perugia, Italy, where he completed a residency under the UNESCO-ASCHBERG Bursary for Artists. He is a 2011 recipient of the African Humanities Postdoctoral Fellowship Award from the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) and a 2010 Leventis Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of London Centre of African Studies, SOAS; and an alumnus of the prestigious Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Maine, USA. His work is represented in numerous important collections, including the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art, Lagos, Nigeria; Museum of Archeology and Anthropology, Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK; Princeton University Museum, Princeton, NJ; The Design Museum, Munich, Germany; Hudson Valley Museum of Contemporary Art, Peekskill, NY; Donnersberg Collection, France.

Ozioma Onuzulike: Who Knows Tomorrow will remain open until April 26, 2025, at the Marc Straus Gallery, 57 Walker Street, New York, New York, 10013. You may follow the artist’s work on Instagram @ozioma.onuzulike.

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#GloryBeToGod


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It's GOODNEWS All Round For A Happy Couple

When one of ours say “I do”, we rejoice and of course share


 
 

When one of ours say “I do”, we rejoice and of course share


A JOYOUS UNION

Congratulations Victoria & Goodnews


 
 



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Protecting the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Persons with disabilities often face stigma, exclusion and discrimination, and are over-represented amongst the people living in persistent poverty, and are less likely than others to be able to lift themselves out of poverty.


 

By Oyiza Adaba | Africa-Related New York

 

Protecting the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

It is estimated that 80% of people with disabilities live in developing countries.

Persons living with disabilities are rated among some of the strongest people we know. Their ability to triumph and even excel above what life throws, leaves much to be admired by the ‘fully formed’. Every July 3 serves as a reminder to celebrate these inspiring individuals.

The U.S. Special Advisor on International Disability Rights Sara Minkara addressed the media about the United States’ new role as co-chair for the Global Action on Disability Network GLAD . In collaboration with the International Disability Alliance (IDA) led by Vladimir Cuk, the goal of the GLAD Network is to achieve inclusive international development and humanitarian action.

... our priority is disrupting the narrative surrounding disability, moving from a charity lens to a value-based lens
— Sara Minkara, U.S. Special Advisor on International Disability Rights
 

Hollywood Actor/Activist Obi Ndefo - is a positive voice for wellness and activism for people living with disabilities.

 

 

Persons with disabilities often face stigma, exclusion and discrimination, and are over-represented amongst the people living in persistent poverty, and are less likely than others to be able to lift themselves out of poverty.

“We are really traveling the world and working with different governments and countries to really support in building capacity and helping governments uphold their commitments when it comes to disability”.

- Sara Minkara, U.S. Special Advisor on International Disability Right

It is estimated that 80% of people with disabilities live in developing countries. What is your country doing to make life easier for people living with disabilities? Guide to

 

INSPIRING VOICES: Nigerians Living with Disabilities

Obi Ndefo, Juanita Ashade, Irene Olumese and Yagazie Foundation are among the Nigerians working to bring more attention to the subject. Follow their inspiring stories below.

 

NonProfit Yagazie Foundation is into Sports/Education/Physical & Mental Wellness for people living with disabilities.

 
 

Author, Inspirational Speaker, and a Faith-informed Transformational Coach Dr. Irene Olumese


 
 

Read My Stainless Steel Pot by Journalist & Author Juanita Ashade . She lost both legs in an automobile accident.

 


See full press briefing transcript here




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9/11: TWENTY-ONE YEARS AFTER

A day of sombre remembrance of a date history will never forget


 

By Oyiza Adaba | Africa-Related New York

 
#neverforget911

Photo by Anthony Formin

A day of sombre remembrance of a date history will never forget. 

 

Live Commemoration Ceremony Courtesy of the 9/11 Commission

 

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum located at the World Trade Center in New York City, is described as the country’s principal institution concerned with exploring 9/11, documenting its impact, and examining its continuing significance. Honoring those who were killed in the 2001 and 1993 attacks is at the heart of our mission.

Each year on the anniversary of 9/11, the families of victims gather for a ceremony on the 9/11 Memorial plaza to read aloud the names of the 2,983 men, women, and children killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks and February 26, 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. Six moments of silence mark the times when each of the World Trade Center towers was struck, when each tower fell, and the times corresponding to the attack at the Pentagon, and the crash of United Airlines Flight 93 in Pennsylvania.




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DIGNITY DEFINED: Tom Adaba @ 81

 

Words: Oyiza Adaba

Photos: David Araga, Margaret Adaba-Soyemi, T.A.L.P, Africa-Related


 

SEPTEMBER 2022

2nd Edition

The veteran broadcaster remains a rare breed with a fighting will to live, do more and witness the change he has long-desired for his motherland Nigeria. On his 81st birthday, he speaks to the conscience of both the Nation and citizens alike.

In the second edition of his upcoming memoirs But For God, soon to be released on September 1, 2022, the Ohi Etohueyi of Ebiraland reflects deeply on a life richly blessed life, the challenges and triumphs along the way. The memoir - in book and audiobook formats, will be released on September 1, 2022.

“Over time, Nigeria has morphed into a convoluted country driven by greed, corruption, and leadership and governance ineptitude. The sheep have no credible shepherds and so are left to flounder in poverty, indiscipline, insecurity and blossoming criminality. Right before our eyes the country is bound on a journey to nowhere and is careening towards total collapse. We are watching a steady disintegration of human values and national ethos.”


- Thomas Aaze Adaba -
Excerpt from ‘BUT FOR GOD’


In 2021, The Tom Adaba Legacy Project (T.A.L.P) was launched with operations in Abuja and Okene. The project’s key focus areas are preserving indigenous culture, promoting education & improving living standards.

To live up to its set objectives, the project joined forces in 2022 with Ita’i Our Cloth - a weaving social enterprise - to build a community centre for learning seated in the heart of Okene. The Tom Adaba Legacy Center is a purpose-driven community centre for knowledge, which will house training facilities for vocational and academic exchange, with a global outlook. 

The project is expected to be carried out in two phases over a twenty-four month period, and is open for local and international partnerships.



T.A.L.P works with children’s education, cultural preservation, philanthropy and advocacy



Sign up to the Tom Adaba Legacy mailing list to get notifications, news and upcoming events





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ALBUM REVIEW: "Asoju Oba" by AYETORO

Asoju Oba is the first Ep from the third in the Afrobeat Chronicles series by Ayetoro - the internationally acclaimed Afrojazz collective led by one of Nigeria's most talented composers and pianists Funsho Ogundipe.


 
 

ASOJU OBA- Album Cover

By Athene Oveh, Lagos

originally published in TARUWA MAGAZINE


Music Review: ‘Asoju Oba’ by AYETORO
Ayetoro is an internationally acclaimed Afrojazz collective led by one of Nigeria's most talented composers and pianists Funsho Ogundipe.



Ayetoro was formed by Nigerian Pianist, Composer and Music Director, Funsho Ogundipe. It straddles both the Afrobeat and Jazz worlds equally creating a sound which draws energy from the highly percussive Afrobeat keeping music lovers excited with its intensity. A global band which exists in different forms in different places, the creative sounds evolve constantly under Ogundipe’s direction to create different versions in Lagos, London and Accra. 

With this, the third international release and coming on the heels of the critically acclaimed Omo Obokun Afrobeat Chronicles Ayetoro take Afrobeat into modern territory with Soul and Hip Hop added to the rich brew of Afrofuturistic Jazz and Afrobeats.

Asoju Oba is the first Ep from the third in the Afrobeat Chronicles series. It features all three versions of the group and was recorded in Accra Lagos and London.

The album in the Afrobeat Chronicles series. Featuring the cream of African and Diasporic talent this EP introduces Lady Jay from Ghana who sings lead vocals on Baba Don Go, a tribute to Fela Anikulapo Kuti. Other talents featured from the Hip Hop camp include Lagos based producer and rapper Hakeem Yesufu aka Mendo and Akinyemi Ogundipe aka Skillz a young Lagos based Rapper.

Who both feature on 'Seeds in the Pod' a Hip hop meets Afrobeat Jazz like joint. Its diminished chords and minor scales provide a platform for some deep Jazz/Rap inspired by the Sufi Poetry of India's Ibn al Arabi.

The Jazz heavyweights are still flexing their improvisational skills. Music muscles as Music Director Composer Funsho Ogundipe on Piano and Keys and Trumpeter Byron Wallen and Clarinetist Shabaka Hutchings illuminate the album with entrancing colours.

Asoju Oba is an imagining of what Afrobeat would sound like in the hands of the great Thelonious Monk.  It's a funky dance floor number with sax and piano solos and a free Jazz outro.

Its cover is a collaborative work involving Prila Paiva, a Brazilian artist who is steeped in African culture. It is an esoteric representation of an Ifa story. The new album is titled Asoju Oba, which roughly means the King's eyes. It is inspired by the writings of the Brazilian author Jorge Amado who exposed Yoruba culture to the Portuguese speaking world.


Official. 'Asoju Oba' Ayetoro's new EP available online as digital download
http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/ayetoro/id78713249


Ayetoro EPK
music . videos . photos . news . calendar
http://www.sonicbids.com/ayetoro
- Taruwa Magazine

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AYETORO INTERVIEW FOR AYAKA ONLINE

Ayetoro is an internationally acclaimed Afrojazz collective led by one of Nigeria's most talented composers and pianists Funsho Ogundipe. Ayakaonline sat down with the longtime Music Director.


 
 

Ayetoro is an internationally acclaimed Afrojazz collective led by one of Nigeria's most talented composers and pianists Funsho Ogundipe .Photo by Numero Unoma.

originally published in ayaka online


February 28, 2012

AYETORO INTERVIEW FOR AYAKA ONLINE

1. Ayetoro is often mistaken for the town with a similar name. What prompted you to name the band Ayetoro

A. The name conjures a vision of order. After chaos order is a mathematical possibility. With order peace has a chance. So the name represents to the band an ordered world of peace. Directly translated, it means a world of peace/order.

2. Describe Ayetoro’s music and bran

A. The band was formed in 1996 in Nigeria. Our first album Naija Blues featured Segun Arinze, the late J T West, Shadrack John and a host of other guest artists. I then relocated to the UK. In London, together with music talents such Byron Wallen the trumpeter, guitar player Jim Mulle, bass player Orefo Orakwue etc, Ayetoro performed at live shows across the UK. In 2007, we formed Ayetoro Ghana with an equally talented group of musicians such as bassist Phillip Acquah, drummer C C Frank. Our producer engineer Panji Anoff lives and works from out of Accra. What you hear now is the new Ayetoro in Nigeria which was formed when I came back in 2010. The journey has been remarkable playing alongside respected talented musicians worldwide. The one constant about Ayetoro is that it has been and remains open to musicians that understand the music and bring a certain level of quality and creativity to it. Asa toured with us, the legendary guitarist Oscar Ellimbi and bass player Falna King both from Cameroon played in the first edition of Ayetoro in Lagos. Today’s Ayetoro is experimenting with music genres such as Rap, Poetry, Neo Soul and Blues. What remains unchanged is the quality of our music. There are no compromises there. The brand is rooted in tradition yet very modern.

3. Which of your songs leave a vivid memory whether it the writing or performance?

A. Recording and mixing the Afrobeat Chronicles Vol 1 album in a day. No overdubs or editing and no time for multiple takes . Such a challenge but the band rose to the task magnificently.

4. Although you're not mainstream, it's been 16 years of sheer musical genius as seen in the quality of your work, but do you think you've broken trough in Nigeria yet. Do you feel any sense of acceptance by Nigerians yet?

A. Nigeria is what it is. We live we love we cry and we never say never. Afrobeat or Jazz is underground music nationwide so we put everything in its proper place.

5. Culturally what is the significance of the traditional symbols and Yoruba language we see and hear all over Ayetoro's works?

A. Our culture is the basis for everything we do. It is the same for those who hold the scroll in the right hand. The Yoruba possess a magnificent artistic tradition. We are only carrying on in that tradition as we are based in that cultural area in Nigeria.

6. Ayetoro's new single Asoju Oba just dropped online. Can you explain the album, artwork and the people that worked with you on it?

A. Asoju Oba roughly translates into The kings observer. It marks the beginning of a conceptual series of albums featuring contemporary art.  The album is our homage to the deep cultural ties between Bahia in Brasil and the Yorubas in Nigeria Benin Togo and Ghana. The title is inspired by a character Oju Oba in the book Tent of Miracles by Brazilian author Jorge Amado. It features three tracks which showcase the different ayetoro bands.

Baba don go is a tribute to Fela Kuti. With Lady Jay from Ghana and Skillz from Nigeria on spoken word. Solos are by Byron Wallen and Shabakka Hutchings in the UK.

Asoju Oba is an instrumental feature.

Seeds in the Pod/Love is my Religion is where Afrobeat meets conscious Hip Hop and guest stars Mendo with Caroline Fusi singing the hook. I take piano solos.  The artwork was created by the Brazilian artist Prila Paiva from Sao Paulo. Seeds in the Pod is inspired by the Sufi poetry of Abu Bakr Ibn al Arabi especially love is my religion.

Technically we collaborated with Panji Anoff of Pidgen Music Ghana who is in charge of our technical side. The tracks were recorded at Alpha Junes (Lagos), Livingstone Studios (London) and Pidgen (Accra) and mastered by Sonny at Spare Dougal (London).

7. Where can we find the album and is there a plan for a launch in Nigeria?

A. Currently the album is available as a digital download on iTunes. The address is: http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/ayetoro/id7871324. Then it will be available on cd and as a 12inch vinyl record in Nigeria in April 2012. Fans can like Ayetoro Live on Facebook and our official page is www.myspace.com/ayetoro 

8. Are you looking for any future collaborations with any artists (Nigeria or international)? Who?

  1. Watch this space!

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