Obakòso Drum & Dance Ensemble

Bay Area African/African-American Latino/a/x Dance Music 2006

Obakòso Drum & Dance Ensemble was founded in 1996 by José Francisco Barroso with his devotion to the preservation and promotion of the profound knowledge and delicate beauty living within traditional Afro-Cuban folkloric music and dance.  Obakòso works to maintain and share the true historical contexts of African Caribbean music and dance as it is rooted in Yoruba religion and Odu, its sacred text which details through pataki (story) the essence of the Orishas (dieties).

In 2006, Obakòso received a grant from ACTA’s Living Cultures Grants Program to purchase professional camera equipment to document the work of the company.  This project also re-created traditional costuming and regalia that are associated with the Yoruba tradition.