Tag: Abeni

Salawa Abeni was born on May 5, 1961. She hails from the Ijebu Yoruba ethnic group in Ijebu Waterside, Ogun State. During her childhood, she received only basic education, as her father had no faith in educating women. Since the 1970s, Abeni has been celebrated as a pioneer and figurehead of the women’s singing and percussion genre referred to as ‘Waka,’ which closely aligns with ‘Juju,’ ‘Apala,’ and ‘Fuji,’ the male-dominated genres. ‘Waka’ is a traditional Yoruba music style influenced by Islamic elements. At the age of 10, Abeni entered the Lagos branch of the Local Leader Recording Label and sought permission to perform a demo tape. The producer, considering it to be a jest, placed her tape on his desk and quickly overlooked it, only to be jolted back to reality upon h...