About us
Foli Arts is a new non-profit organisation that shares African artistic traditions with children, young people and families in Norway: music, drumming, storytelling and movement.
We stand for:
- Living traditions Art is something you do together, not just something you watch.
- Art and culture across generations From the youngest in kindergarten to grandparents.
- Participation Everyone can take part, whatever their starting point.
How Foli Arts came to life
Foli Arts didn't begin with a business plan or a big idea to start an organisation. It grew naturally, one project at a time.
Two people, one shared belief
Over the past three years, musician and griot Solo Diarra and Martina Adeyeye have worked together to develop and bring African music, storytelling and cultural experiences to audiences across Norway and beyond.
Solo brought his musical heritage, his experience as a performer and his deep connection to the West African griot tradition. Martina brought her passion for creating opportunities, connecting people and turning creative ideas into projects that could actually happen.
Together, they began building.
Music and culture should be accessible to everyone, regardless of age, background or ability.
One idea led to another
Music workshops introduced children to the sounds of the ngoni and djembe. Storytelling, music and dance came together in Calabash Tales, bringing West African traditions to life for young audiences. BabyGroove opened the world of rhythm and movement to the very youngest children.
As the projects developed, so did their understanding of the different people they could reach. They began exploring how music could create meaningful experiences for children with special needs, developing Sensory Music, where participation happens on each child's own terms. They also turned their attention to older generations, creating opportunities for seniors to connect through rhythm, music and storytelling.
Culture that lives
Alongside these programmes, Solo continued developing his own artistic work, including YIMENGA, a musical project rooted in his heritage while embracing the influences and experiences of his life in Norway.
Some projects grew out of conversations, others from invitations, collaborations or experiences along the way. What connected them was the belief that African culture is not something simply to be presented on a stage, but something living that can be shared, experienced and developed together with others.
African culture is not something simply to be presented on a stage, but something living that can be shared.
How Foli Arts took shape
Before long, the list of programmes had grown. What began as individual projects had become something bigger, with performances, workshops, artistic collaborations and activities reaching people at very different stages of life.
Founded in 2026, Foli Arts brings these already established activities together under one organisation, giving them a shared identity and a foundation for further development.
From babies discovering rhythm for the first time, to schoolchildren exploring new sounds and stories, to seniors reconnecting through music, Foli Arts aims to create spaces where people can meet across cultures, generations and abilities.
The organisation is rooted in African artistic traditions, but its purpose goes beyond presenting African culture. It is about what happens when cultures meet, when people participate and when music becomes a common language.
Foli Arts is the result of three years of building, learning, collaborating and believing that music and culture belong to everyone, and in many ways it is only the beginning.