Responding to growing international interest in the Yoruba culture of southwestern Nigeria, practitioners of bata a centuries-old drumming, dancing, and singing tradition have recast themselves as traditional performers in a global market. As the Nigerian market for ritual bata has been declining, international opportunities for performance have grown. Debra L. Klein s lively ethnography explores this disjunction, revealing the world of bata artists and the global culture market that helps to sustain their art.
"Yoruba Bata Goes Global" describes the dramatic changes and reinventions of...