The rhythms of West Africa met Mobile’s civic engagement movement Thursday, October 8, as Beninese musician Yewhe Yeton joined the Mobile Alabama Africatown Drummers for a performance at Kazoola Entertainment & Eatery.
Presented by Stand Up Mobile and the Mobile Alabama Africatown Drummers, the event connected Benin’s musical traditions with Africatown’s history of resilience, using music and storytelling to encourage community dialogue and voter participation.
Describing his music as “Vodun Rock,” Yeton says the root of his sound is “the secret rhythm,” through which he fuses his Benin roots with multiple genres from hip-hop to jazz.
Yeton performed three original songs during the event, including Doolo, meaning “to say a proverb.” The track explores the betrayal Africans faced through enslavement, with the drum being central to the song—a choice Yeton says places the instrument as a messenger, urging audiences to listen for its message.
“The drum told you something,” Yeton explained. “So you have to listen carefully and catch this message from the drop.”
His most recent project, Mède Miwa, illustrates the humanity of the Black diaspora, with Yeton saying the project’s core message is that “we are also human—we are not your prisoner.”
Stand Up Mobile representative Reggie Weaver says the event served as a reminder of the legacy of resilience and resistance that has always empowered Black people, saying, “I think a lot of the time, we feel as if our work, our voice, our vote doesn’t matter. So I hope that people are reminded of the power we do have.”
When asked what he hopes people will leave with after the performance, Yeton said, “I hope it will be like a seed we put in the ground.
“And the rain will come…and the seed will become a tree. And one day we can come to eat the fruit of this history.”
