Ayan Agalu

Lamidi Ayankunle, second from right, top row, is one of the greatest living bearers of Yoruba knowledge and tradition. A masterful bata drummer, he is internationally respected and revered, as was his father and his grandfather before him, for his knowledge, charisma and drumming prowess. He is a resident of the small Yoruba town of Erin Osun in Osun State, Nigeria. Working with his extended family (thirteen houses of drummers from the same lineage), and the same Egungun families they have been aligned with for centuries, he coordinates priests, drummers, dancers, acrobats, carvers and tailors to create performances.

Comments from an interview with Lamidi Ayankule, May 2001, in Seattle: translated by Toyin Ajayi.

I, Lamidi Ayankunle, play both the bata and juju drums. It is my job and it is my heritage in Erin Osun. I am from one of the families in Erin Osun who play the drums for the kings, the chiefs, the rich and the poor. We celebrate with them. We entertain them, make them feel important if necessary. In my family of drummers there are about one hundred drummers, which includes our fathers, uncles, brothers, cousins,