In Memoriam
Aiku pari iwa
Aiku bale ewa
Aiku baalo oro
Eternity is the ultimate form of being.
Eternity is the highest form of beauty.
Eternity is the richest form of wealth.
–Yoruba oral tradition.
“If you can walk, you can dance; if you can talk, you can sing!”
“In the village, everyone dances or drums; there are no spectators in the village!”
– Favorite sayings of Baba Adetunji Joda (1926-2011)
Baba means “father” in the Yoruba language; as an elder in the community, the name was respectfully preferred for Mr. Adetunji Joda, Sr. He was the father of African drum and dance in the Colorado region, revered for his long life commitment to promoting authentic teaching of African culture through drum and dance. Baba Joda transitioned away from this place we call earth on to the ancestral ground on Tuesday, October 25, 2011.
Baba Adetunji Joda was born in Nigeria. He came to America in 1958 and moved to Denver, Colorado in 1971 from New York. While in New York, he appeared with various groups such as the Dinizulu Dance Group, Egbe Omo Nago Dance Troupe, Ilori Dance Group, Mongo Santamaria, Ajass Repertoire, and most notably, Olatunji and His Drums of Passion. Baba Joda danced with Pearl Primus and was a student and longtime friend of Baba Olatunji and His Drums of Passion.
Baba Joda appeared at the United Nations on two different occasions, one as a tribute to the late Dag Hammerskjord and Heinrich Weischioff and again at the Fourteenth Anniversary of the proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He was also a guest star at the 1965 New York Words Fair, at the Hall of Education.
Baba Joda graced Colorado with his calm, quiet drum power for 30 years. During this time he created four major African dance companies including Ajose, Irepo, Sankofa, and Joda and Friends – African Dance South of the Sahara. Baba Joda worked from the bottom of the drum rhythms of his homeland, and his work has projected a strong African dance and drum culture and community in Colorado. He is the bottom line of the history of the communication of African culture in Colorado.
Baba Joda has been appreciated by many. Mayor Wellington Webb decreed June 24th as Baba Adetunji Joda Day in Colorado. In 2000, he was honored by the Four Mile Historic Museum as Artist of the Year. In addition, the Denver Black Arts Festival has created The Joda Village, and it is a permanent site at the annual event.
Baba touched the lives of many and is missed by all. In passion and desire to continue his legacy, the community that shared in his classes continues to keep the dance and drum alive.
Please join us and experience this rich and very valued dance and drum community.
