By Marlene Hawthrone Thomas
Obini Sekere
Obini Sekere: 100 Sekeres from marlene hawthrone thomas on Vimeo.
Iyalosha Yeye Olori Oriyomi, or, better known as Mama Yeye, is the Sekere Woman of Atlanta.
The sekere is a percussion instrument made from a gourd, adorned with a skirt of beads or shells. It is played to please the Orishas, or African ancestral deities, and is also thought to have a positive healing affect on its listeners. Each sekere is unique; no two have the same sound or shape.
Mama Yeye leads Obini Sekere, a group of sekere players with a mission to enlighten, educate and unify the community.
If the sekere is the thread that tethers the past to the present, Mama Yeye serves as the needle, deftly collecting the fabric of the diaspora.
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