Laolu Senbanjo Talks Juice, Local Inspiration & The Meaning Of Afromysterics

Laolu Senbanjo was born in Ilorin, Nigeria, but now splits his time living between Nigeria’s capital city Abuja and Ditmas Park. He’s a practicing human rights lawyer, a visual artist, and a musician whose work transcends established genres–something Laolu has dubbed “Afromysterics.” We spoke with Laolu about his life here, his unique art, and what we can expect at his debut Bar Chord show tomorrow night at 9pm.

“I moved to Ditmas Park a few months after moving to the states,” Laolu says. “My wife and I decided to settle in Ditmas Park because we really like the neighborhood. It has such a wonderful feel to it… When we first visited, it truly felt like home.”

Afromysterics

Many of Laolu’s favorite spots are along Cortelyou, including Kumo (for sushi and soup), Brooklyn ARTery, the Cortelyou Greenmarket (for Red Jacket Orchards‘ Strawberry Apple Juice, to which Laolu says he’s addicted), Sycamore (for Ditmas Park Artists Drinks especially), Catskill Bagels–and, of course, Bar Chord to see live music. He says he and his wife are looking forward to trying Lea, although they find themselves cooking at home more often than not.

He says he also finds local inspiration in the scenery and buildings of Ditmas Park, subway buskers, and fellow Brooklynites the Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra.

A tribute to Fela Kuti

This Tuesday, January 21, will be Laolu’s first show in the neighborhood as well as his first show in the US with his new band, Afromysterics. But what’s in a name?

“I call my style of art ‘Afromysterics,'” Laolu says. “Afromysterics simply means, the mystery of the African thought pattern. Africans generally love to tell stories, and as you can see in my art, stories are always interwoven into all the works.

“Tuesday will be a lot more than just African music–I will also be having an art exhibition, and I will be discussing my art on Tuesday as well,” he says. “So it’s an evening of African art and music.”

Laolu’s self portrait

You can experience Afromysterics for yourself at Bar Chord (1008 Cortelyou Road between Coney Island Avenue and Stratford Road) this Tuesday, January 21 at 9pm–and to keep up Laolu’s future projects and events, follow Afromysterics through Laolu’s blog, Tumblr, and Twitter.

All images by Laolu Senbanjo