About IYCAF
Humanity speaks through the voices of all cultures. Each one has something unique to say about the human experience and our relationship to the world. The wisdom found in each voice gives insight into how we can be better human beings. The Yoruba people of West Africa have a long tradition of examining what it means to be human. They have developed through their icons and sacred literature, their arts, which guides them in the quest to live in harmony with the world. In the wake of the slave trade, the descendants of the Yoruba in the Americas have created art that reflects how the human spirit can transcend tragedy and bring something beautiful to the world. It is an art that is expressed in both contemporary and traditional forms. After years of study, reflection and collaboration, the founding members of the Ifa Yoruba Contemporary Arts Foundation were inspired to create a vehicle by which this voice of humanity could be heard.
A native of Mississippi, Oyekunle has for many years been active in the examination of traditional African ways within African American culture. He has been studying many of the world’s traditional cultures for twenty five years and was initiated as an Egungun Priest (Ancestor Priest) in 1994. In 2001 Oyekunle traveled to Oyo, Nigeria and was initiated into the priesthood of Ifa. Oyekunle partnered with Alcorn University and The DuSable Museum to develop a research project into certain cultural aspects of the Great Migration. He also worked with Alcorn University to sponsor All Soul’s Day, a three day cultural tribute to the African slaves and Native Americans that once inhabited the area. Oyekunle received the Irma Kingsley Johnson award in 2002 given by The Chicago Friends of Amistad Research Center for his work in preserving African American history. He has organized and managed the spiritual pavilion and opening ceremonies for the annual African Festival of the Arts. Oyekunle has participated on panels as diverse as hip hop and spirituality to the use of traditional African ways to solve social problems. He has been a writing consultant at DePaul University’s Center for Writing Based Learning. Oyekunle studied art at Jackson State University, film at Columbia College and majored in education at DePaul University.
Oyekunle Oyegbemi, Board President
A native of Mississippi, Oyekunle has for many years been active in the examination of traditional African ways within African American culture. He has been studying many of the world’s traditional cultures for twenty five years and was initiated as an Egungun Priest (Ancestor Priest) in 1994. In 2001 Oyekunle traveled to Oyo, Nigeria and was initiated into the priesthood of Ifa. Oyekunle partnered with Alcorn University and The DuSable Museum to develop a research project into certain cultural aspects of the Great Migration. He also worked with Alcorn University to sponsor All Soul’s Day, a three day cultural tribute to the African slaves and Native Americans that once inhabited the area. Oyekunle received the Irma Kingsley Johnson award in 2002 given by The Chicago Friends of Amistad Research Center for his work in preserving African American history. He has organized and managed the spiritual pavilion and opening ceremonies for the annual African Festival of the Arts. Oyekunle has participated on panels as diverse as hip hop and spirituality to the use of traditional African ways to solve social problems. He has been a writing consultant at DePaul University’s Center for Writing Based Learning. Oyekunle studied art at Jackson State University, film at Columbia College and majored in education at DePaul University.Cassandra Wilson, Vice President
Cassandra Wilson is an internationally renown jazz vocalist, composer, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. She is a two-time Grammy Award winner which includes the 2009 Grammy for best female jazz vocalist. Wilson's repertoire includes original compositions, both jazz and blues standards, as well as insightful renditions of pop and rock songs. A pivotal point in Wilson's successful career was her work as the featured vocalist on Wynton Marsalis’ composition Blood in the Fields which received a Pulitzer Prize. She received an honorary doctorate in the arts from Millsaps College, the Mississippi Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts, the Edison Award in the Netherlands, the Django D'or in France and the Montreal International Jazz Festival's Miles Prix Award in Canada. With 16 CD's to her credit as a bandleader, Wilson has explored the boundaries of American popular music by bending genres and stretching seemingly static musical traditions over a broad and vibrant canvas. Wilson continues her life long exploration of West African sacred music as embodied by the arcane motifs found in the Delta Blues and jazz. Click here to visit her offocial site.Olalekan Babalola, Artistic Director
Lekan is a Nigerian born musician and producer. He started his career playing in Yoruba Christian Church pastored by his father. As custodians of Yoruba tradition, his family taught him first hand about Yoruba art and culture and this has influenced all of his work. Lekan is also an initiated priest of Ifa. Since 1980, Lekan has performed in the UK and around the world. He has worked with artist as diverse as Roy Ayers, Cassandra Wilson and Branford Marsalis. Lekan studied filmmaking at Central St. Martin’s College of Art and Design and later at the Northern School of Film and Television. In 1992, Spike Lee invited Lekan to be his assistant in the making of Malcolm X. This experience exposed him to a new expression of African Diaspora art and culture. In 1995, Lekan founded the Ifa Yoruba Contemporary Arts Trust to foster the development of Yoruba Art and Culture. He also continues work with the Birmingham Conservatoire of Music as both a percussion tutor and bandleader/composer.Phoenix Savage, Secretary
Phoenix is a graduate of The Art Institute of Philadelphia, 1984. She later received an undergraduate degree from Mississippi Valley State, 1998. In addition, Phoenix holds two graduate degrees, the first in medical anthropology from The University of Mississippi, 2001, and the second in studio art from Northwestern State University, 2008. Phoenix is primarily a sculptor but is also known for her writings that appear in the Encyclopedia of Slavery and Resistance, Encyclopedia of the Blues, and the forthcoming the Encyclopedia of Mississippi. Her most recent publication from Arcadia Publishing is a vintage book of black and white images: African Americans of Jackson co-authored with Turry Flucker. Phoenix has lived and traveled extensively in the United States and abroad. Her personal life experiences as well as her professional experiences as an anthropologist serve as the foundation for her sculptures. The works of Phoenix Savage have been exhibited in museums and galleries nation wide. Click here to view some of Phoenix' works.Dayo Laoye, Artist
Dayo is from Southwest Nigeria which is the heart if Yoruba culture. He is from a highly esteemed family and grew up in Ibaden, Nigeria. Dayo Graduated from the School of fine art, Yaba College of technology near Lagos, Nigeria. His early formal training as a painter involved learning the style of modern masters. Dayo eventually found himself studying art at Howard University in Washington D.C. and was influenced by the philosophy of Dr. Alain Locke who challenged Black artist to incorporate their ancestry into their work. He developed a style that reflected his experiences in America while embracing his heritage and maintaining a firm foundation in his past. Dayo has worked as a graphic designer and book illustrator. As a custodian of Yoruba culture Dayo has taught his native language and consults on many aspects of the Yoruba worldview. His works have been shown in galleries across the country and are in hundreds of private collections. Click here to read an interview.Rhonda Richmond, Artist
Rhonda is a composer and performance artist with broad experience and a musical sensibility that crosses many genres. She writes, arranges and teaches the craft of song writing to students of all ages. She has performed as the opening act for artist such as B.B. King, Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Taylor and Albert King while working as a vocalist and keyboardist for Bennie Lattimore. Rhonda has also opened for jazz great Jimmy Smith and worked with Cassandra Wilson on several projects including the motion picture sound track for Love Jones. She has been one of the featured artists at the National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta, Ga., the Snowbird Jazz and Blues Festival in Utah and performed for national United Negro College fundraiser at Tougaloo College. Richmond was a panelist on the 7th annual B.B. King International Blues Workshop, sponsored by the Delta Research and Cultural Institute of Mississippi Valley State University. Rhonda was awarded a fellowship funded by the Mississippi Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. Rhonda’s latest composition Tallahatchie Waters appears in the Paul Saltzman film Prom Night in Mississippi. That film was included in the Sundance Film Festival which will be featured by HBO for showing in 2009. For more info about Rhonda, click here.