Iya Ayoka Olomi Ifashade, the leader and director of the Ile Egbe Yemoja, situated in Success Village, Laventille will receive the Keeper of the Tradition Award at the 2025 Yoruba Village Drum Festival scheduled for Saturday 14th June 2025 at the Yoruba Village Square Piccadilly Street, Port-of-Spain (opposite the police station).
Iya Ayoka, affectionately called, Iya is a well-respected spiritual leader in her community who is committed to practising and preserving traditional African spirituality, particularly that of Ifa/Orisha to pass on to future generations. She believes that traditional African spirituality is the foundation and guide needed to navigate life. In this regard, she created Ile Egbe Yemoja in 2014 and hosted the Ile’s first annual Yemoja Festival in her community in 2016. Since then she has hosted eight more Yemoja Festivals with increased participation of members from her community and the wider Ifa/Orisha community. Iya also works closely with another Keeper of the Tradition Awardee, Oba Kiteme as part of Success Laventille Networking Committee. Together they have worked diligently to preserve and share with both their local community and the nation, the African historical, cultural and spiritual heritage of the Yoruba Village Community. Iya or Mother Iyoka can be seen at Ifa/Orisha events, celebrations and Pan African gatherings, throughout Trinidad and Tobago, showing her support and commitment and sharing her spiritual energy within the African community.
Each year, young persons of the Yoruba village community are also recognised and awarded for their achievements. This is done in keeping with the observance of the United Nations International Day of the African Child commemorated annually on June 16th . The Day is in honour of those young people who struggled and lost their lives in the 1976 Soweto Uprising in South Africa. The students were protesting the poor quality of education and advocating for the right to be educated in their own language and an end to apartheid. This year, the students who will be awarded, both attend the Success Laventille Secondary School, Kayla Flanders and Jeremiah Foyle.
Kayla Flanders is a shining example of academic excellence and creative brilliance. Kayla who Alexis Street, Morvant, is a Form 4 student, who has consistently demonstrated outstanding performance in her studies, while making remarkable strides in the field of visual arts. Her talent, dedication, and passion have earned her numerous accolades in local art competitions. Among her many achievements, Kayla is a proud winner of several art contests, including the prestigious Rotary Club Art Competition, where her winning piece was featured in the Club’s 2024 calendar. Her work has also gained national recognition, having been exhibited at both the Red House and the National Library, a testament to her artistic impact and growing presence in the creative community. Kayla continues to inspire her peers with her discipline, creativity, and commitment to excellence, both inside and outside the classroom. She is undoubtedly a young artist to watch, with a promising future ahead.
Jeremiah Foyle, of Thomasine Street Laventille, is a talented footballer, artist and school prefect at Success Laventille Secondary School, where he continues to shine both academically, creatively and in sport. He played for his school football team for three years and was voted Man of the Match on two occasions. As a midfield defender he helped his team to regain a name and be recognized at the secondary school’s football league. Also known for his imaginative concepts and bold artistic expressions, Jeremiah has quickly made a name for himself as one of the school’s most promising visual artists. His dedication and passion for the arts have earned him several accolades in national art competitions, where his work has been praised for its originality and powerful storytelling. Jeremiah’s artwork has also been featured in various student exhibitions, proudly representing Success Laventille Secondary and bringing positive recognition to the school. As a prefect, Jeremiah leads by example, balancing his leadership duties with his sporting, academic and creative pursuits. His achievements stand as an inspiration to his peers and a testament to the talent and potential that exist within the Laventille community.
The Yoruba Village Drum forms part of the annual Pan African FestivalTT Commemorating Emancipation which is organised and hosted by the Emancipation Support Committee of Trinidad and Tobago. The Drum Festival, brings artistes, parents and children of the community and the nation together at this African Heritage Site. The Drum festival highlights the significance of the history and contribution to the development of East Port-of-Spain, by the Yoruba and other African peoples who lived in this community.
The Yoruba, who were rescued from the ships of British, France and Spanish plunderers, following the abolition of the Slave Trade, were brought to that part of the city of Port-of-Spain, where they resided as free men and women. They came originally, mainly from Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Togo. Today the only semblance of the town’s history and existence is the Yoruba Village Square. However, in spite of the persistent, calculated and prolonged efforts to deculturalise the community, many of the rich customs and tradition of the Yoruba, remain in the Yoruba Village, which is synonymous with what is called East Port-of-Spain and include, Belmont, Gonzales, Morvant and Laventille. Indeed, it is from within the bowels of this community of highly spiritual and inventive Yoruba people that the steelband, calypso and many other aspects of our cultural traditions originated. The Drum Festival will include performances by drumming groups, dancers, tamboo bamboo and chantuelles. Some of the groups who will be performing are Wasafoli, 2nd Freeport Sea Scouts, St James Cultural Artisans, Frontline Drummers, Egbe Omo Oni Isese, Persistent Drummers, San Juan South Cultural Organisation, United Cultural Beacons, Chaguanas Women and Youth Group, Ancestors Beyond, .the Claxton Bay Tamboo Bamboo Performing Group, Drum Line, Malick Folk Performing Company, Diego Ville Drummers, Soul Oasis Cultural Ambassadors, Belmont Freetown Arts and Cultural Performers