Yerba Buena Gardens Festival Presents Aguidavi do Jeje x Batuki

Hailing from Bahia, Brazil, the Afro-percussive group Aguidavi do Jêje enthralls listeners with a seamless fusion of tradition and avant-garde elements, creating a compelling dialogue between the past and the present. Embracing the candomblé rhythms of the Jêje-Mahin nation, their atabaque orchestra defines itself as a "percussive ritual." The very essence of the group is encapsulated in its name: aguidavi, derived from the stick taken from the Araçá tree, instrumental in playing the three atabaques in the candomblé rituals of Jêje-Mahin. Jêje references Africans originating from the kingdom of Dahomey, modern-day Benin, while the Ogans are individuals trained to play the sacred atabaques - rum, rumpi and lé - during ceremonies. For this special performance, Aguidavi do Jêje joins forces with Batuki, a San Francisco based group featuring Brazilian percussion, vocals and dance.