Balimaya Project

Formed in 2019 by composer, arranger, djembe maestro and spiritual guiding light, Yahael Camara Onono, Balimaya Project intently bridge London’s bustling jazz circuit with the traditional repertoire and folklore of the Mandé peoples of West Africa, and in turn connect the music’s contemporary and ancestral forebears. Over five highly active years, the up to 15-piece ensemble of musicians from varied backgrounds has gained in strength through its shared experiences, including a transformative collective odyssey to Senegal. Balimaya (meaning ‘kinship’ in the Maninka language) has grown into a musical and spiritual brotherhood, creating a multi-layered, inter-generational, pan-African big-band jazz fusion, exploring the sources and rich cultural legacies of the African diaspora from a Black British perspective, within a space that supports the sharing of the emotional experience of identity and connection.