Introduction
Heritage can be either tangible or intangible that can be conserved and inherited. “Since UNESCO’s adoption of the convention for the safeguarding of the Intangible cultural heritage in 2003, museums and galleries have had to consider how they might preserve, present and interact with intangible cultural heritage. Performances of heritage in these spaces can provide a sustainable platform for negotiating the division between tangible, material heritage and intangible heritage, such as dance, storytelling and music”. (Awuah 2016:23). The construction of the museum is in lieu of preserving heritage through safeguarding and documentation (Bakka 2017, Erlien 2017). These heritages, frequently, are connected to traditions, locale, space, time, histories, societal life cycle which are outside the museums because they are component of communal expressions of specific cultures. In most African communities, both tangible and intangible cultural heritages, for example, music, dance and drums are intertwined because they are usually embedded in African religions, language, cultures and traditions. This project is created to fulfil the module titled “Performance of Heritage” at the University of Roehampton, London. I am taking this course as a student of the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree Programme (Choreomundus). The project seeks to employ the use of performance as a platform to engage archival materials in the British Museum, using the Bata Dance as a case study. It is also linked to my choreographic project, which is titled “Jijo Bata” which means “dance Bata” instead of hanging it on the wall or putting it in a show glass. “Kaabo Se Daa daa lode”? This piece begins as a conversation between me a Yoruba girl from Nigeria, and my ancestor (the Bata), which around the 1900s embarked on a journey of no return from the Yoruba land to the great British Empire. Emphasising on the importance of heritage, Achebe (2012) once said that "a man who doesn’t know where the rain began to beat him, will not know where his clothes got dried". The unfortunate rain that would displace Bata started several years ago with the coming of the British into Yoruba land. “Kaabo Se Daa daa lode”: Welcome, did you arrive safely? The spirit of my ancestor, the Bata, welcomes me. His journey was not a bed of roses. The great Bata who was carted away in the form of spoils now welcomes me through its rhythm into this land that he once tilled, this new world that he has adjusted. The Bata, the great king of the community and celebration, reduced to a mere artefact on the wall? Like many of my ancestors, the Bata’s journey was through the Atlantic, maybe somewhere in the deep and darkest part of the ship, he laid for months. Until he was regurgitated to this strange new world, yet, here I am, a supposed bearer of the legacy of the Bata, encountering what I would refer to as a “Heritage contained”. The great Bata with all its might, its rhythm, with all its power to bring people together, sits gloomy and despaired. “Kaabo Se Daa daa lode”, my father, the Bata welcomes me, the free one, looking to me for its freedom. I, a Yoruba woman who comes free to this strange world and who seek to rewrite the forgotten tales of her ancestors. I am a beam of hope and a symbol of freedom for heritage lost. That is why this piece takes the form of an invocation of an ancestral spirit (the Bata). An awakening of the spirit of heritage rather than a mere display of artefacts. Through this performative encounter with the archives of the British Museum, I want to awaken the spirit of the Bata that has been subjected to a culture of heritage focused on dormancy, display, stagnation and objectification. Where I come from, the Bata is a god, my peoples’ voices and a source of communication between this world and the unseen realm. Why then should the Bata be caged, his voice taken away or be left redundant? To awaken the sound of my Bata, I embark on this project intending to breathe life into my heritage. This time, I have the pleasure of saying “Bata, Kaabo, se Daa daa lode? |
Author
Olabanke Oyinkansola Goriola is a performer, choreographer and scholar from Nigeria. Currently, she is a masters student of Anthropology of Dance under the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree Programme (Choreomundus). She acquired her Bachelor's degree in Theatre Arts from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and a one-year dance training at the dance deal training foundation, Lagos, Nigeria. Her interests lie in engaging in discourses related to African religion and spirituality, African Music and dance, Gender studies, Race, Migration and representation, African Diasporan dance, music and religion, minoritarian studies and African ritual. |
My Bata Experience in Nigeria
Take off your shoes, Ayandele said. Why? I replied with a mix of confusion on my face as I was going to join the batá dancers on stage. Ayandele replied, "se wo o mo wipe, a kin fi batá jo batá". Though as a Yoruba girl, I knew the literal translation of "se wo o mo wipe, a kin fi batá jo batá" which is translated in English as "don't you know we don't dance batá wearing a shoe." However, I wanted to know the profound meaning of that statement. That was twelve years ago, as a thirteen-year-old girl who grew up dancing mainly church choreographies and hip-hop, I found myself amid Yoruba traditional dancers after joining the association of theatre arts practitioners of Nigeria. That was the beginning of my journey into the Bata world. The Bata dance is performed to the rhythm of the Bata drum; therefore, both arts of expressions are intertwined. Akinwunmi asserts that "the mythico- historical source of Yoruba drum poetry in Ifa literary corpus points to the totemistic nature through close attachment to the worship of some Yoruba mortal gods, deified human beings and Yoruba kings" (2013:169). The Bata drum is attributed to Sango (God of thunder, fire and Judgement in the Yoruba mythology). The rhythm of the Bata drum served the purpose of appeasing Sango each time he was angered. The use of drums in Nigeria has been divided into religious and secular, and they are known to be central to communication. The Bata drum ensemble is divided into Iya Ilu, Omele abo, Omele ako, and Kudi. Jacobs (2018:9) states that "the Bata dance show a preponderance of the evidenced African rhythm, emotional sympathy through persistent repetition of form and sound". He further noted that "the movements involved in Bata dance are very expressive as it expresses either the physical strength of Sango or the religious worship attributed to Sango." (Jacob 2018:9).
Examples of Bata Performances are:
See Video
See video
Take off your shoes, Ayandele said. Why? I replied with a mix of confusion on my face as I was going to join the batá dancers on stage. Ayandele replied, "se wo o mo wipe, a kin fi batá jo batá". Though as a Yoruba girl, I knew the literal translation of "se wo o mo wipe, a kin fi batá jo batá" which is translated in English as "don't you know we don't dance batá wearing a shoe." However, I wanted to know the profound meaning of that statement. That was twelve years ago, as a thirteen-year-old girl who grew up dancing mainly church choreographies and hip-hop, I found myself amid Yoruba traditional dancers after joining the association of theatre arts practitioners of Nigeria. That was the beginning of my journey into the Bata world. The Bata dance is performed to the rhythm of the Bata drum; therefore, both arts of expressions are intertwined. Akinwunmi asserts that "the mythico- historical source of Yoruba drum poetry in Ifa literary corpus points to the totemistic nature through close attachment to the worship of some Yoruba mortal gods, deified human beings and Yoruba kings" (2013:169). The Bata drum is attributed to Sango (God of thunder, fire and Judgement in the Yoruba mythology). The rhythm of the Bata drum served the purpose of appeasing Sango each time he was angered. The use of drums in Nigeria has been divided into religious and secular, and they are known to be central to communication. The Bata drum ensemble is divided into Iya Ilu, Omele abo, Omele ako, and Kudi. Jacobs (2018:9) states that "the Bata dance show a preponderance of the evidenced African rhythm, emotional sympathy through persistent repetition of form and sound". He further noted that "the movements involved in Bata dance are very expressive as it expresses either the physical strength of Sango or the religious worship attributed to Sango." (Jacob 2018:9).
Examples of Bata Performances are:
See Video
See video
Bata In the British Museum
Going through the Nigerian collection on the British museum website, I came across the description of the Bata Drum as :
"Drum (bata?); carved from wood; hollowed-out cylinder of wood, wide at one end tapering in to smaller end; circle of skin placed over each end and held in place by network of strips of leather; strip of leather wrapped around centre of drum; leather carrying strap backed with cotton attached to either end of drum".
available at https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/image/245236001
available at https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/image/245236001
Identifying a gap
Going through the Nigerian collection in the British Museum website, I came across the picture of the Bata drum above, and the first thought I had was: is this the same Bata drum I know? Why is the description shallow? Why has the Bata drum been reduced to a mere piece of an object? Why is there no significant details of the culture or the society it represents? At first, I was furious, and I wondered if the cataloguing was an intentional act or ignorance on the path of who described the Bata drum in the British Museum. However, Kurin (2004:7-8) says “all museums are constrained by the fact that they can only represent larger wholes by smaller, abstracted pieces or parts … an aesthetic movement by a painting, a cultural group by a costume and some pottery, a historical event with a sword or crown”. Therefore, instead of engaging in the discourse of decolonisation, I would instead contribute to ensuring visibility and identity.
Going through the Nigerian collection in the British Museum website, I came across the picture of the Bata drum above, and the first thought I had was: is this the same Bata drum I know? Why is the description shallow? Why has the Bata drum been reduced to a mere piece of an object? Why is there no significant details of the culture or the society it represents? At first, I was furious, and I wondered if the cataloguing was an intentional act or ignorance on the path of who described the Bata drum in the British Museum. However, Kurin (2004:7-8) says “all museums are constrained by the fact that they can only represent larger wholes by smaller, abstracted pieces or parts … an aesthetic movement by a painting, a cultural group by a costume and some pottery, a historical event with a sword or crown”. Therefore, instead of engaging in the discourse of decolonisation, I would instead contribute to ensuring visibility and identity.
Why British museum?
I say why not the British Museum. "In 1900, Britain officially assumed responsibility for the administration of the whole of what we now know as Nigeria from the Niger company. And then gradually over the years, British protectorate were established throughout the territory. In 1914, the protectorates were amalgamated into one Nigeria. In order to take over the territories from the Niger company, the British government paid 865,000 pounds, a huge amount in 1900. So let's establish a simple truth, the British didn't travel halfway across the world just to spread democracy. Nigeria started as a business deal between a company and a government". (Another Story by Burna Boy See here ). I chose the British museum because Nigeria was once a British colony, and artefacts taken from Nigeria are currently in the British Museum. This act was possible through Colonialism. (Encyclopaedia Britannica See here ). Also, recently, there has been a hot debate regarding the return of stolen artefacts by Britain. However, the British government has insisted on holding onto the artefacts, and have instead suggested borrowing the countries they took the artefacts from, with hope to return them to the British government. (See here). Also, the Museum is known as the most receiver of artefacts from all over the world. (the Guardian See here).
I say why not the British Museum. "In 1900, Britain officially assumed responsibility for the administration of the whole of what we now know as Nigeria from the Niger company. And then gradually over the years, British protectorate were established throughout the territory. In 1914, the protectorates were amalgamated into one Nigeria. In order to take over the territories from the Niger company, the British government paid 865,000 pounds, a huge amount in 1900. So let's establish a simple truth, the British didn't travel halfway across the world just to spread democracy. Nigeria started as a business deal between a company and a government". (Another Story by Burna Boy See here ). I chose the British museum because Nigeria was once a British colony, and artefacts taken from Nigeria are currently in the British Museum. This act was possible through Colonialism. (Encyclopaedia Britannica See here ). Also, recently, there has been a hot debate regarding the return of stolen artefacts by Britain. However, the British government has insisted on holding onto the artefacts, and have instead suggested borrowing the countries they took the artefacts from, with hope to return them to the British government. (See here). Also, the Museum is known as the most receiver of artefacts from all over the world. (the Guardian See here).
So What?: Effects of this project in the British Museum
Therefore, what will the performance do? Awuah (2016:23) says “through a re-interpretation by means of dance, audiences can better understand the object’s significance and its function in a society or period of history. Dance, therefore, enables a more comprehensive view of the object. In addition, using dance as the thematic accompaniment to collections of artefacts is arguably important for the future development of museums as sites of heritage preservation and of dance as intangible cultural heritage”.
I tag it a “performance of solution”, whereby performance will be used critically for:
Therefore, what will the performance do? Awuah (2016:23) says “through a re-interpretation by means of dance, audiences can better understand the object’s significance and its function in a society or period of history. Dance, therefore, enables a more comprehensive view of the object. In addition, using dance as the thematic accompaniment to collections of artefacts is arguably important for the future development of museums as sites of heritage preservation and of dance as intangible cultural heritage”.
I tag it a “performance of solution”, whereby performance will be used critically for:
- Engaging the archive: Archival materials are known to be catalogued, labelled and put up for display. This process takes out the meaning, feeling and experiential existence of such heritage through the freeze in time, space and context. Therefore, employing performance will create the platform for engaging these heritages, such as the Bata drum. The Bata drum will drive the performance because Adegbite (1988) states that “a by-product of traditional drum music is its capacity of fusing a community together. It does this by requiring, engendering, and fostering a corporate spirit, a togetherness, both in the fashioning of the materials for music-making and in the actual making of music.”
- Ensure Visibility for the Heritage: Using the Bata drum in the British Museum as an example, the Bata drum is not on display in the gallery. Therefore, one has to search through the collection to be informed that the Bata drum is in the Museum. The performance will thus create visibility or illumination on the drum.
- Create more content for the artefact: Since the performance will be documented, there will be more knowledge of the Bata drum. This documentation will afford to have an up to date information of the bata drum. It will also bridge the gap between the Yoruba culture and its display in the British Museum.
- Engage Africans in Diaspora: Nigerians in the United Kingdom who are museum-goers will have a feel of being “at home.” Through participation, they will also have more insight into the Yoruba culture and tradition, because not everyone can have the opportunity to go back to Nigeria. Through this, the Museum will be visited frequently. My present knowledge of the British Museum is that there has been no Bata dance performance presented in the Museum. The only known one is that of the Sierra Leone dance (See here). Therefore, this performance can be a platform for more Bata and Yoruba dance performances.
- Opportunity to engage in Archiving: As much as this project will benefit others, I will profit by learning and put into use the archiving knowledge I have gained in this masters programme. Through this means, I am giving back to my country by preserving the Nigerian and Yoruba culture in the diaspora. This project could also create opportunities for me in engaging in other projects with other scholars.
Performance attempt in the Museum
The Bata Dance performance will hold at the British Museum, starting from the African gallery to the Atrium for the central performance. The African gallery is in basement two, room twenty-five of the museum. The performance will start with four Bata drummers dressed in adire Dashiki, Sokoto and fila, at the entrance of room twenty-five. The four drummers will play several idioms, proverbs and melody of the Bata rhythm to draw the attention of the audience to the African gallery. After getting a reasonable number of audiences, the drummers will sing and drum simultaneously from the entrance in a straight line to usher audience members into the gallery.
They will engage in a tour around the rooms in the African gallery, still playing the drums and singing, while beckoning the audience to keep following them around the gallery. This mini performance will go on for about ten minutes, as the audience make acquaintances, but still curious about what is happening. After the tour in the gallery, the drummers will lead the audience out again in the same manner they came. However, this time, three male dancers dressed in adire dashiki, Sokoto and fila will be waiting at the entrance of the African gallery. The drummers will lead the parade out, while the male dancers will be behind them, and in front of the audience as they take up the role of ushers, using hand gestures and spontaneous dance movements to lead the audience to the Atrium.
The dancers will coordinate the audience to form a circle; however, the drummers will be the connection of the circle. When the circle is achieved, the drummers will stop singing or drumming to raise the curiosity of the audience. After a while, the drummers will play a variation of the Bata, while the male dancers start doing acrobatics in the circle. After the acrobatics, they start a choreography, and their final movement makes them prostrate in front of the drummers. This break will cue the three female dancers dressed in adire Iro, Buba and gele to dance into the circle as the audience makes a passage for them. The female dancers will perform choreography and after, will make their way to take the male dancers from the ground. The six dancers, still in the circle will spread out and will engage the participation of the audience to clap in a synchronised rhythm, as they (dancers) will prepare for the final presentation. The lead drummer with the Iya-ilu Bata will break out of the circle to join the dancers in the circle and will play a specific rhythm that the couples will dance. The Rhythm will be:
mo sakeke, mo mu regboifa, ire I ran to seek for refuge in Ifa shrine
mo wabaja, mo mu rediope, ire I put on tribal marks to seek for refuge under the palm tree
ope mi titi, mo se bojoloro The tree shook vigorously, I thought it was raining
Ojopamilapakan dapakansi Rain, please beat on one side of the body and spare the other
Ojo pami Komase poremi, ire Rain, please beat only me and do not touch my friend.
Afefeyeye, afefeyeye, aye, emasafefeyeye siwamo
Afefeyeye
After the performance, the four dancers will dance out while the drum rhythm will switch to the Agbekor of Ghana that will be coordinated by Mariama. After both performances, there will be a discussion session for questions and answers, and enlightenment into the performance.
Note: This portfolio is a part of the larger project titled Performance of Heritages at the British Museum which includes other dances from Africa and Asian continents. Check Project Outline and Execution and budget plan for further details.
The Bata Dance performance will hold at the British Museum, starting from the African gallery to the Atrium for the central performance. The African gallery is in basement two, room twenty-five of the museum. The performance will start with four Bata drummers dressed in adire Dashiki, Sokoto and fila, at the entrance of room twenty-five. The four drummers will play several idioms, proverbs and melody of the Bata rhythm to draw the attention of the audience to the African gallery. After getting a reasonable number of audiences, the drummers will sing and drum simultaneously from the entrance in a straight line to usher audience members into the gallery.
They will engage in a tour around the rooms in the African gallery, still playing the drums and singing, while beckoning the audience to keep following them around the gallery. This mini performance will go on for about ten minutes, as the audience make acquaintances, but still curious about what is happening. After the tour in the gallery, the drummers will lead the audience out again in the same manner they came. However, this time, three male dancers dressed in adire dashiki, Sokoto and fila will be waiting at the entrance of the African gallery. The drummers will lead the parade out, while the male dancers will be behind them, and in front of the audience as they take up the role of ushers, using hand gestures and spontaneous dance movements to lead the audience to the Atrium.
The dancers will coordinate the audience to form a circle; however, the drummers will be the connection of the circle. When the circle is achieved, the drummers will stop singing or drumming to raise the curiosity of the audience. After a while, the drummers will play a variation of the Bata, while the male dancers start doing acrobatics in the circle. After the acrobatics, they start a choreography, and their final movement makes them prostrate in front of the drummers. This break will cue the three female dancers dressed in adire Iro, Buba and gele to dance into the circle as the audience makes a passage for them. The female dancers will perform choreography and after, will make their way to take the male dancers from the ground. The six dancers, still in the circle will spread out and will engage the participation of the audience to clap in a synchronised rhythm, as they (dancers) will prepare for the final presentation. The lead drummer with the Iya-ilu Bata will break out of the circle to join the dancers in the circle and will play a specific rhythm that the couples will dance. The Rhythm will be:
mo sakeke, mo mu regboifa, ire I ran to seek for refuge in Ifa shrine
mo wabaja, mo mu rediope, ire I put on tribal marks to seek for refuge under the palm tree
ope mi titi, mo se bojoloro The tree shook vigorously, I thought it was raining
Ojopamilapakan dapakansi Rain, please beat on one side of the body and spare the other
Ojo pami Komase poremi, ire Rain, please beat only me and do not touch my friend.
Afefeyeye, afefeyeye, aye, emasafefeyeye siwamo
Afefeyeye
After the performance, the four dancers will dance out while the drum rhythm will switch to the Agbekor of Ghana that will be coordinated by Mariama. After both performances, there will be a discussion session for questions and answers, and enlightenment into the performance.
Note: This portfolio is a part of the larger project titled Performance of Heritages at the British Museum which includes other dances from Africa and Asian continents. Check Project Outline and Execution and budget plan for further details.
Aftermath
In order to execute this project, the performance will require four drummers, three female dancers and three male dancers. I will collaborate with the guild of Nigerian dancers, (GOND) and the National Council of Arts and Culture, (NCAC) Lagos Nigeria in selecting capable batá dancers for the production. I will reach out to dance organizations such as Black British Dance, Bantu Arts ltd, ZinArts company and other interested organizations in London for personal and monetary support. The estimated budget for this performance is 50,000 British pounds. 30% of the money will go into getting a complete set of the Bata Drum ensemble and Adire costumes for the drummers and dancers. In comparison, 50% will be used for flight, visa, accommodation, feeding and individual remuneration of the performers. The remaining 20% will be saved for future performances, as this project is not a one-time performance. The plan is to perform quarterly at the British Museum to promote continuity and produce a grounded identity of the traditional Nigerian heritage. To generate more income, there will be exhibitions and sale of the adire costumes. Each time batá performers come to the UK, they will engage in dance and drum workshops, while still performing in several heritage sites and galleries across the United Kingdom. Through this, there will be opportunities for collaborations and sponsorships, which will sustain the mission of this project. Hopefully, these projects will create platforms for international collaborations, sponsorships and recognitions. The money generated in the long run will be used for other projects like charity, collaborating with African fashion companies, where adire cloth and batá dance will be performed on fashion runways. Also, hopefully, lead to the addition of batá dance, drum and adire into school curriculums.
In order to execute this project, the performance will require four drummers, three female dancers and three male dancers. I will collaborate with the guild of Nigerian dancers, (GOND) and the National Council of Arts and Culture, (NCAC) Lagos Nigeria in selecting capable batá dancers for the production. I will reach out to dance organizations such as Black British Dance, Bantu Arts ltd, ZinArts company and other interested organizations in London for personal and monetary support. The estimated budget for this performance is 50,000 British pounds. 30% of the money will go into getting a complete set of the Bata Drum ensemble and Adire costumes for the drummers and dancers. In comparison, 50% will be used for flight, visa, accommodation, feeding and individual remuneration of the performers. The remaining 20% will be saved for future performances, as this project is not a one-time performance. The plan is to perform quarterly at the British Museum to promote continuity and produce a grounded identity of the traditional Nigerian heritage. To generate more income, there will be exhibitions and sale of the adire costumes. Each time batá performers come to the UK, they will engage in dance and drum workshops, while still performing in several heritage sites and galleries across the United Kingdom. Through this, there will be opportunities for collaborations and sponsorships, which will sustain the mission of this project. Hopefully, these projects will create platforms for international collaborations, sponsorships and recognitions. The money generated in the long run will be used for other projects like charity, collaborating with African fashion companies, where adire cloth and batá dance will be performed on fashion runways. Also, hopefully, lead to the addition of batá dance, drum and adire into school curriculums.
Bibliography
- Achebe, C. (2012). There was a Country: A personal history of Biafra. USA: Penguin press.
- Adegbite, A. (1988). The Drum and Its Role in Yoruba Religion. Journal of Religion in Africa, 18(1), 15-26. doi:10.2307/1580834
- Akinwunmi, S. (2013). Gender Dialectics in Yoruba Drum Poetry. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260323300
- Awuah, E. (2016). Negotiating the narrative themes of traditional Ghanaian dance forms within the museum context. Mōtiō: Postgraduate Journal for Dance Practice and Research, 2, pp.23–33. Available at: www.motiojournal.org
- Bakka, E. & Erlien, T. (2017). Museums, Dance, and the safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage: “Events of Practice”- A New Strategy for Museums? Santander Art and Culture Law Review 2/2017 (3): 135-156 DOI: 10.4467/2450050XSNR.17.017.8427.
- Jacob, O. (2018). Communicative and Expressive value of Bata Dance in Contemporary Nigeriahttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/328583712_COMMUNICATIVE_AND_EXPRESSIVE_VALUE_OF_BATA_DANCE_IN_CONTEMPORARY_NIGERIA (Accessed May 8, 2020)
- Kurin, R. (2004). Museums and intangible heritage: culture dead or alive. ICOM NEWS. 57(4) pp.7–9.
Online Collection
https://tribuneonlineng.com/drum-dialogues-master-drummer-and-the-accompaniments/ (Accessed on 7th, May, 2020)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bata_Ensemble.png (Accessed on 7th, May, 2020)
https://talkingwithdrums.ch/?p=338&lang=en (Accessed on 7th, May, 2020)
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/536421005594920393/ (Accessed on 7th, May, 2020)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXbWwR4rSmY (Accessed on 10th, May, 2020)
https://www.history.com/news/british-museum-stolen-artifacts-nigeria (Accessed on 11th, May, 2020)
https://www.britannica.com/place/Nigeria/Nigeria-as-a-colony (Accessed on 11th, May, 2020)
https://www.history.com/news/british-museum-stolen-artifacts-nigeria (Accessed on 11th, May, 2020)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/04/british-museum-is-worlds-largest-receiver-of-stolen-goods-says-qc (Accessed on 11th,May, 2020)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY7H8rRZhL8 (Accessed on 11th, May, 2020)
British Museum African Collection: Bata Drum https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/image/245236001 ( Accessed: 8th, May, 2020)
Bata Description: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/image/245236001 ( Accessed: 8th, May, 2020)
Bata Dance videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akJJkOr6EKM (Posted by Ilubabamini. Title: Yoruba "Bata" Dance, February 5, 2014) Accessed on 9th, May, 2020.
https://vimeo.com/289822221 (Posted by Bukunmi Olukitibi. Title: Bukunmi Olukitibi teaches Yoruba Bata Dance in Senegal, September 14, 2018). Accessed on 9th, May, 2020.