Asase Yaa At The Nomad Jazz Festival
Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation (pronounced ah-Sah-Say YAH) takes its name from the Akan phrase for “Mother Earth” – a language spoken along the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa. It’s a fitting name for an ensemble that has spent over two decades nurturing cultural understanding and creative expression around the world. Founded by brothers K. Osei Williams and Yao Ababio, the group began as a gathering of artists steeped in African diasporic traditions. “We were raised with drumming and dancing in our bones,” says Osei. “Our mother ran a school in South Jamaica, Queens. By the time I was nine, I was touring internationally as a drummer.”
“When you grow up in a field like this, you have a bunch of friends that do the same things. We were all performing in different tours with different people. My brother suggested we should all put a concert together to share our experience,” Osei recalls. Their first concert, in 2003, lit a spark that became a movement.
After their first concert, they held another meeting, where the group decided they needed to put more form to the company. Osei recalls that everyone pointed to him. “We want you to be the Executive Director.” He thought, “What does that even mean? But I took it seriously – these are my peers, people I respect, people I love.”
Performance was only the beginning. As Asase Yaa gained momentum through frequent shows and tours, audiences started reaching out, asking if they could teach their children. The demand for education grew organically, sparked by the power and presence of what they saw on stage. Asase Yaa developed a youth summer camp (now entering its 19th year), then launched an academy five years later and began mentoring young artists, many of whom are now touring professionals. The stage was always a platform – but never the primary objective.
“A lot of our progress began with a simple question: How can we help our community? We knew it wasn’t only about offering high-quality arts programming – you could find that in other neighborhoods. What we wanted was something more rooted. We wanted to present excellence, yes, but to do it in a way that was specific to our culture, our traditions, and our people.”
For Asase Yaa, African dance isn’t a monolith. It reflects the diversity of the continent it comes from. In high school, Osei studied European classical music at Professional Performing ARTS School in Manhattan. Later, he had the opportunity to train in Guinea, West Africa, and the approach there was entirely different. It expanded his understanding of both art and education. That experience gave Osei a broader perspective, one that he brought back home and poured into his work. Understanding that every style has its own structure, its own context, its own way of being passed on is essential. “When you study dance, or music, or any art form, you start to see that each tradition has its own integrity and system.”
Alumni of Asase Yaa have gone on to tour with Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Drake – but that level of success, Osei says, has never eclipsed their mission at home. “We’ve stayed grounded because our focus is always on community. We teach, we build, we share.”
During its 25th anniversary year, Asase Yaa is bringing three works to the NoMad Jazz Festival: Rhythmic Roots, Hear My Voice, and Afro House Celebration – each reflecting a different facet of African diasporic expression.
“We need shared experiences that lift us up and remind us who we are,” says Osei. “That’s what Asase Yaa brings – legacy with a heartbeat.”
Kofi Osei Williams, Executive Director
Zakiya Harris, Artistic Director, School of the Arts
Rubie Inez Williams, Director of Operations
Yao Ababio, Founder and Artistic Director
Don’t miss Asase Yaa’s performances during the NoMad Jazz Festival in Madison Square Park on August 9. Visit NoMadJazzFestival.com for details and updates. Performances are free and for all ages.