Our very own Dayo Ayodele was featured in The Idaho Statesman's ‘The Idahoan Project: Finding Common Ground.’ You can watch the mini-documentary featuring reporters talking to Idahoans who, they hoped, were as diverse as could be — multigeneration Idahoans, the next generation & newcomers here.
Dayo Ayodele was born in Nigeria, came to the United States to go to school in 1981 and moved to Idaho four years ago.
“I’ve adopted Idaho as my state, as my home, and Boise, especially, as my city,” Ayodele said. His daughter is growing up here. “That’s more of me having roots in Idaho.”
Ayodele works in insurance, but music, and his band The Afrosonics, is where his heart and soul is. That’s what brings Idahoans together.
“I believe the music that (the Afrosonics) do is actually Idaho music, really,” he says. “Because it’s all the influences of everybody growing up here and me moving here.” He brings his musical and cultural roots from Nigeria, and it all mixes it with band members’ other influences.
“It’s like a soup of different elements, and most of them are from Idaho,” he said. “It’s not African only. It’s all the culture that kind of sprouts from here.”
The cultural show is an event that features vibrant cultures and the opportunity to take a trip throughout the world with outstanding acts such as dancing, singing, poetry, and more. International students that perform generally dress in traditional clothes to demonstrate their culture. Take a little time out of your night to enjoy this free event.
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The season’s kick-off is a grand New Year’s Eve celebration. Ground zero is OVO Beach on Maldonado Bay. We walked to the celebration, our apartment being just six blocks from the bay. This proved opportune as traffic was at a standstill. People filled every available patch of street, sidewalk, and sand. Elbowing our way towards the shore, we were absorbed into the throng of revelers, holding champagne in one hand to toast in 2019, smartphone in the other to record their presence. As the crowd counted down, corks popped and digital shutters snapped. At the stroke of midnight fireworks began all around Maldonado Bay. It must have been quite the sight if seen high up from a penthouse balcony or far off from a boat. The entire bay was a backdrop for a panorama of sparkling aerial dancers. Our view, down on the sand, was a bit more intimate; we were inside the fury, underneath a canopy of loud explosions and sizzling color. When the light show stopped, the all-night party started. Revelers, who had come a great distance and at great expense and were not going to waste a precious moment of their summer holiday, stayed to party. Those of us who lived here and enjoyed this paradise every day nonchalantly relinquished the beaches, clubs, and restaurants to the tourists. Echoes and reflections from the fete escorted us home.
Read MoreGlobal Lounge is at the forefront of thoughtful cultural preservation, education, integration and the promotion of cultural awareness by harnessing the power and beauty of diversity for individual and community development. ♥
