1994
The founding
Bàbá Adáy founds Bi-Okoto in Cincinnati. The vision: a consistent home for African cultural arts in the city — drum, dance, language, and the philosophy carried by them.
Our Story
A drum, a vision, and three decades of work
Bi-Okoto Drum & Dance Theatre, Inc. has spent thirty years building a home for African cultural arts in Cincinnati and beyond.
The Founding · 1994
From a vision to a institution
Bi-Okoto began in 1994 with founder, Bàbá Adebola T. Olowe, Sr. — known to the Bi-Okoto community as Bàbá Adáy. He arrived in Cincinnati carrying a Yoruba cultural inheritance and a clear-eyed observation: the city had no consistent home for African cultural arts. Schools occasionally hosted visiting performers; festivals occasionally booked drummers. But there was no through-line, no continuity, no place where the work was the work.
Bi-Okoto was the answer to that absence. Not a project. Not a season. A standing institution committed to the drum, the dance, the language, and the philosophy that travel together in West African cultural traditions.
In 1996, two years after Bàbá Adáy began the work, the organization was formally incorporated as Bi-Okoto Drum & Dance Theatre, Inc. — an Ohio nonprofit corporation and 501(c)(3) public charity. The legal structure caught up to a community that already existed.
Our Mission
To engage and bridge gaps with African culture — through drum, dance, language, and the philosophy that travels with them.
We carry this mission into schools, residencies, productions, after-school programs, and the Cultural Center we operate. The work is grounded in tradition and oriented toward the children, families, and communities we serve.
Three Decades
A timeline of the work
1996
Incorporation
The organization is formally incorporated as Bi-Okoto Drum & Dance Theatre, Inc. — Ohio nonprofit corporation, 501(c)(3) public charity. The legal structure catches up to a community that already exists.
2000s
School residencies
Bi-Okoto's residency model takes root in Cincinnati Public Schools and beyond. Ten-week visits, aligned with school standards, bring African cultural arts directly into classrooms.
2010s
Productions on tour
Irin Ajo and Omo Wa join the repertory — Afrocentric works exploring children, community, and the collective adult responsibility to nurture them.
Today
A multifaceted institution
Bi-Okoto operates the Cultural Center, three touring productions, the Tolongo After School program, school residencies, the Okoto Kekere development pipeline, and an active artistic and educational footprint across the region.
What We Carry
Values that shape the work
Cultural authenticity
The drum, the dance, the language, and the philosophy travel together. We do not separate the form from its meaning.
Intergenerational stewardship
Children learn alongside elders. Artists in training learn alongside masters. The work belongs to the lineage, not to any single moment.
Bridge-building
Engaging and bridging gaps with African culture means meeting people where they are — schools, community centers, festivals, families — and inviting deeper relationship.
Accessibility
Cost should not be the barrier between a child and their cultural inheritance. We work to keep our programs reachable for the families who need them most.
From the Founder
“The drum is not an instrument that you play alone. It is a conversation across generations. Bi-Okoto exists to make sure that conversation continues here.”
— Bàbá Adáy, Founder & Executive Artistic Director