PROFILE / noun / a short description of someone’s life, work, character… Cambridge Dictionary
At IN PROFILE we step inside the life of the performing artist, taking a snapshot of their works, performances, interests and character. We examine their trials and accomplishments within the ever-competitive world of the entertainment industry with the ultimate view to mentoring and fostering the next rising star.
For this edition of InProfile we feature renowned organic percussionist Baba Ayinde Onilu.
On The African Drums
Playing A Nature Instrument
Percussive Instruments
Baba Ayinde Onilu – In Profile by Alana Rajah
Baba Ayinde Onilu is an organic percussionist whose music is a symphony of sounds that capture the essence of the slender Caura River. As it takes birth atop the Northern range and meanders through the abundant Caura Valley, this ecosystem is the sacred home of the Onilu tradition. His beautiful name is of Yoruba origin; ‘Baba’ meaning Father, ‘Ayinde’ meaning ‘we give praises and he came’ and his title ‘Onilu’, given to him by his Father, meaning ‘drummer’. “Father we give praises and he came drummer of the Yoruba origin”, is the full meaning of Baba’s name but what stood out to me the most is the way he leads a life honoring the power of each of those words.
Organic percussion was a concept derived from Baba’s father, the late Jajah Oga Onilu’s innate ability to make instruments to mimic the sounds of nature. He was phenomenal in leaving behind a rich legacy of exquisite craftsmanship.
Imagine growing up nestled into an ecosystem that responds to every spark of your creative thinking. For Jajah Oga Onilu, his creativity took form when he explored rhythm. The rhythmic scale begun with what he called the ‘dopsion’ which is the rhythm of the breath. Knowing the rhythmic scale is considered the doorway into knowing how to play alongside any other genre, any other time signature, any other vibe, feel, pulse or beat. This gives you an understanding of all the different beats, patterns and counter patterns which can be used to influence any genre. Different tones exist and knowing how to blend these tones create a natural vibe.
Baba Ayinde Onilu says, “For my father, it was connecting to destiny and self. How does one come up with these ideas? It is immersing oneself on that journey and that is what he did by connecting with nature. Anything you connect with, will feed you. It will feed you knowledge and fill you with inspiration to be creative. We all have that creative energy.”
Guided to realizing his purpose, it is without doubt that a divine rhythmic flow within brought life and energy to his music. Baba Ayinde explains that nature is considered the first musician. It is in this state that nature is considered sacred, organic and paid homage to as our sustainer. Organic music is immersing oneself into the sounds that nature provides. Nature is responsible for gifting us different types of frequencies. Our body is composed of energy-producing particles, each of which is in constant motion. So, like everything else in the universe, we are also vibrating and creating energy in response to those frequencies.
Baba and his brother successfully run a program called “Make and Play” in which I believe every child should be exposed to. Children understand an integral concept explained by Baba. “Human beings are created and evolve through a natural process; if we observe that process we realize that we are a huge part of it. Just as things flow, we have to understand how we too should do the same. We have emotions and we have energies that align with that flow. Teaching becomes a beautiful medium to talk to children and open their minds to something new. It is like a new door gets opened in their minds and you were the key. Children never forget those learning experiences and that shows how impactful that exchange can be.
Baba beams with national pride as he appreciates the fact that Trinidad is indeed a magnificent place abundant with different cultures, races and ideologies all existing in this space. It is the perfect place to try to keep as the gem that it is. He laments that there is a generation now where the respect for life is not there so it’s easy for them to take another life. “A space within the minds and hearts of the younger generations must exist. We have to contribute positively to their upbringing so that negativity would not influence them. That space would have already been filled with good thoughts, morals, loving nature, respecting their friends and loving life. If you instill certain values at a young age, I think we might have a solution.”
