#BNYouTubeSpace: CultureTree founder Gbemisola Isimi attends YouTube London ‘Afrobeat in Conversation’ Event for BN | Get the Scoop!

On Wednesday, Gbemisola Isimi, CEO & Founder of CultureTree attended the YouTube London ‘AfroBeats in Conversation’ event with a brief @bellanaijaonline takeover. Here’s her recap of the night’s activities below!

CEO & Founder of CultureTree Gbemi Isimi

Hey, BellaNaijarians!

I was at YouTube Space London yesterday at the AfroBeats in Conversations event curated by AmaruDonTV (ADTV). It was a night to celebrate the global impact and culture of the AfroBeats genre. It featured some of the biggest names in the industry who shared their unique insights into how and why AfroBeats has grown to become one of the most powerful movements in the music industry today.

Funny man, Eddie Kadi aka Mr CongoSwagg was the host of the night. He led the panel discussions and on the first panel was our very own Mr. Capable, Bankole Wellington, aka Banky W, Promoter/Event Organiser, King Smade, and one of the biggest Producer/DJs in the industry right now, DJ Juls aka JulsBaby.

The conversations were very lively and a lot of topics were covered. Check out a few pictures and video highlights:

Juls talking about his Ghanaian heritage and how his love for AfroBeats started

King Smade sharing his journey to being becoming one of the biggest Promoters in the Industry

Banky W sharing how he left his life in New York to join the AfroBeats movement in Nigeria

Gbemisola with DonDutchie, one of the Pioneers of the AfroBeats movement in London

Gbemisola with Banky W

Gbemisola Isimi with Moelogo

Gbemisola Isimi with King Smade

Gbemisola Isimi with DJ Neptizzle

Gbemisola Isimi with Taponeswa Mavunga (Head of Publicity for Columbia Records)

Banky W speaking on why the AfroBeats movement has blown up in the U.K.

Panel discussion on how important it is to stay true to your sound even when going mainstream

Panel discussion: Is there a divide between U.K. and Naija-bred AfroBeats artists?

Question time: Why are women not given the same prominence as their male counterparts in the AfroBeats movement?

Taponeswa Mavunga shares  her views on Women in the music industry

Jidenna talking about how his African background has shaped his music.

Performances from Yxng Bane and Eugy

I had a great evening, the atmosphere, the music, the conversations, everything was on-point! Kudos to Amaru and the ADTV team for putting it together. Shout-out also to YouTube for their contributions to the AfroBeats movement and for creating opportunities for AfroBeats artists to have their music heard worldwide.

Finally, I’d like to emphasise the importance of keeping our culture and roots alive! AfroBeats originated from Fuji, heavy Nigerian drumbeats and Ghanaian highlife. There would be no AfroBeats if the pioneering artists didn’t stay true to their sound and their African influences. An important part of our culture is our mother tongue. We must not neglect to learn and speak our mother tongue. Kudos to all the artists out there making their mark in the mainstream industry whilst infusing their mother tongue into their music.

CultureTree’s mission is to preserve Nigerian languages and culture, starting with Yoruba. We currently make animated cartoons and stories to teach kids Yoruba language. We have a Play Club for kids to learn Yoruba. You can book your child a place at our Play Club via our website www.culturetree.co.uk. You can also catch our children’s educational series Yoruba Stars on VoxAfrica (Sky Channel 218, GOTV 16, DSTV 191).

Here’s more on the CultureTree Play Club below.

CultureTree Play Club | Learn Yoruba | Speak Yoruba

CultureTree Play Club | South London | North London

Video of the CultureTree Fantastic Family Fun Day

Stay blessed!

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Gbemisola Isimi is a mum of two and the founder of CultureTree.
Instagram: @culturetreetv
Twitter: @culturetreetv
Facebook: facebook.com/culturetreetv