Rasaki Aladokun, a man with an infectious laugh, is a master drummer from Nigeria who comes from a traditional drumming family. His father was a drummer, his mother was a singer, two of his brothers and one of his sisters are drummers, and he is teaching most of his children how to drum.
He comes from the Yorubá ethnic group of Nigeria. Born and raised in that country, he began touring internationally with King Sunny Adé (known as the "King of Juju Music"). Now, he has settled with his wife and children in Oakland, California, USA. In this documentary he demonstrates the large and the small "talking drum"), the batá, and other drums and explains how they fit into the society and culture in which he was raised - fascinating stuff!
Rasaki and his drums show us something about an important group of people in West Africa who have also influenced America. Many African Americans in the United States have Yorubá roots, while in some Latin American countries, an even larger part of the population is descended from Yorubá and the traditional religion Rasaki follows is practiced (with some modifications) by many people.
"A must see for percussionists and people interested in African Music."
--Martin Meissonier, founder of Island Records, promoter, and playwright
"...highly captivating."
--Prof. Jeleel Ojuade, Vice-Chancellor, Ojaja University, Nigeria
This half-hour documentary, part of our series-in-progress, Speaking of Rhythm, has screened in several festivls. We can present it to you as part of an event, and in June will release it for sale to the Educational market. The host is filmmaker Eve A. Ma.
