Tijesunimi Olakojo is an actor, writer, director, and film producer who specialises in using the traditional Yorùbá bàtá dance and indigenous rhythmic movements in theatre, film, and other visual content with the addition of English and Yorùbá poetry, spoken word, chants, music, praises, eulogy and storytelling. Graduating with an overall distinction on the MA drama course from the University of South Wales, she explored these performance techniques in a one-man stage play titled “The Imaginary Ring” and “Break-ing” a docudrama film which she wrote, produced, directed, acted in, while interpreting these roles with the bàtá dance.
Tijesunimi, also known as Teejay believes the bàtá dance is a means of communicating the unknown, which includes difficult feelings and emotions, and this was well portrayed in Break-ing; a film that explores intersectionality of being a monoracial black female immigrant actor in Britain. Teejay is a descendant of professional indigenous drummers from the famous Ọ̀yọ́ empire among the Yorùbá tribe of (Southwestern) Nigeria. She is the great-granddaughter of Bàbá Àyánbìyí and is the first in the family to continue the tradition of drum-dancing since his passing.
Her early training goes as far back as elementary school. From her colourful, uniquely innovative costume, which is a mixture of indigenous African and contemporary style, her exciting energetic body vibrations, to her enchanting smile, Teejay is indeed a wonder to behold when she performs. She has honed her craft in dancing to the bàtá drum. Teejay continues to dance in plays,
films, carnivals, festivals, other events, and visual content.
Her recent dance performances include the Dathliad Affrica- Cymru Fashion Show at the Wales Millennium Centre (for The Successors of the Mandingue), Butetown Carnival, Gwledd Parc Feast (NoFit State Circus), Black History Month events for Monmouthshire City Council and The Creative Plug Cymru plus workshop delivery for Welsh Refugee Artists Season at Hay Castle.