Baba Abiono Ogunrinde

Excitement, Education, and Edutainment

Baba is a Master Drummer with over 3 decades of dedicated study in West African and South African drumming. Renowned as both a performer and educator, Baba has honed his craft under the guidance of esteemed mentors such as Lindi Yeni of South Africa; Barago Johnny Hayes of Atlanta, GA, Famadou Konate of Guinea, and the late great Dejembefolas; Mamady Keita & Laurent Camara of Guinea, West Africa, and Benard Woma of Accra, Ghana, just to name a few. His expertise in music extends from Guinea, Mali, Ghana, and Nigerian drums adding depth and versatility to his repertoire. Baba's talent has gained widespread recognition, including a featured role in the 2021 cultural film, Coming 2 America.
In addition to performing, Baba contributed his musical talent to crafting authentic African music for the film, videos, and performing arts. His rhythmic ability has graced stages for numerous esteemed dance instructors, professional dance companies, modern dance companies, corporate galas, R&B Productions, theatre productions, world music groups, world stage productions, and zydeco bands.
As an educator, Baba shares his wealth of knowledge through team building workshops, drumming workshops and cultural events for all ages, cultural communities, and institutional settings. As a teaching artist, Baba has shared his drumming knowledge and wisdom through multiple didactic-experiential workshops through the Association of Black Psychologists, as well as the organization's online platform (PsychDiscourse). He explores the therapeutic power of drumming traditional West African music and dance.
His journey in drumming is complemented by his academic achievements, holding Masters degrees from Grambling State University, along with undergraduate degrees. Through his profound understanding of traditional West African drum rhythms, Baba utilizes this ancient art form as a conduit for emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual healing.