The Group: Oba Ilú
Oba Ilú means “King of the People” in Lucumí, the Afrocuban Yoruba language. Gregorio Hernández founded the group in 1995 and named it after Jesús Pérez (1915-1985), a musician from the Cuban Yoruba tradition of regla de ocha. Pérez had performed with Danza Contemporánea de Cuba, the National Ensemble of Modern Dance, and Conjunto Folklórico Nacional de Cuba (CFNC) the National Folkloric Ensemble. Hernández described the group's mission as "to promote Cuban and Afrocuban folkloric music, demonstrating its universal values and importance to national culture" during a 2011 interview. His training with CFNC informed how he directed the group. Oba Ilú was dissolved in 2001 and reformed in 2005 with Isnavi Díaz assisting.
