In the golden embrace of a Jamaican afternoon, as a teenager, Ettosi Brooks’ backyard would flow with music. The sounds of her guitar, a drum, a tambourine, and various instruments blended with the rustling of leaves and family rehearsals. However, the dynamic display of charisma would go beyond Brooks’ backyard.
“My brother was a famous musician in Jamaica,” says Brooks. “We’d have rehearsals in our backyard and I got more involved with them and the overall arts as a teen. I’d dance, and play instruments, such as the bass guitar, and eventually, I started singing and songwriting. I realized creating could be a voice for culture and not just me, but others.”
Brooks’ brother, Cedric “Im” Brooks, a Jamaican saxophonist, composer and musical arranger became known for fusing reggae with jazz. He studied music and was the founder of multiple musical groups. Inspired by her brother, she danced and played bass guitar and drums and joined the band, eventually starting her own group.
“He truly inspired me,” says Brooks. “Years later, I still want to be a creative person, and he taught me the importance of giving others a voice and platform.”
That influence has led to her ‘Women in Music Ayo Festival’ now hosting its fourth annual event on Saturday, Aug. 31, at ArtServe in Fort Lauderdale.
From the influence of her environment and coming of age during political upheaval and violence, Brooks moved to South Florida in the ‘90s. While in South Florida, she worked with her brother again to form an organization, Journey in African, and her mission in music advanced. In 2012, she founded “Women in Music Ayo” to help artists express their creativity and culture and provide a platform.
“I wanted to showcase the arts and beauty beyond the stage,” says Brooks, who lives in Fort Lauderdale. “Female beauty and representing different genres and a mix.”
This year’s theme is “Labor of Love” and is a tribute to Constance Ekon, also known as Queenmother Nana Boatenmaa, an influential figure from Ghana, who moved to South Florida in 1993 and is a figure in the Black Liberation movement and civil rights activism. Boatenmaa will be part of a procession in the opening of the show with dancers and percussionists leading the way.
“She’s the reason we’re standing today,” says Brooks. “The reason we’re proud and we’re having everything from spoken word artists to African dance, Reggae . . .our intention is to provide a place and a platform for women artists regardless of their age or stage they’re in when it comes to their career. We’re having someone who is 75 on the stage and then someone else who is in their twenties.”
As an advocate for women, children, and families, Boatenmaa, who along with her daughter, Nyemah Abrams, has been a positive presence through their community organizations Coalition of African Queen Mothers and Rising Sons & Star Sisters.
“Queenmother’s appreciation for the arts and her entrepreneurial spirit spans six decades,” says Brooks. “And her unwavering support for the arts and Women in Music Ayo. We give her flowers now.”
The festival will feature live performances from a diverse gathering of women artists who are all from South Florida.
“We have a dancer from Broadway,” says Brooks about featured performer and returning artist Nefertauri (Patricia Carby). “She’s performed on the Broadway stage, and she’s a young person, but she came down with multiple sclerosis (MS) a few years ago. So, her performing is a journey of her healing because she has come back to dance. From not being able to walk to performing on stage this is a moving experience that expresses her life. She stands as an example to never stop pursuing and she’ll leave the audience feeling emotional.”
Brooks will be doing a musical performance, and also on the bill will be musical artists Lady Tia, Maxine Osbourne, and Ramona Gregory. Dayjah Starr will mix yoga with a style found in African dances.
“All of these women are from South Florida and are here to showcase their skills and specialities,” says Brooks. “It’s a wide variety of women (performing everything) from poetry to reggae, and it’s an entertaining show with personal stories and talents that’ll make us feel connected and entertained. It’s about gathering together and learning from each other through dance, networking, and loving each other.”
Other performers include Takia, a former retired teacher turned singer and guitarist, along with singer-songwriter-director and former educator Lorna Lesperance, and poets Sharon the Conscious Poet and MJ Willa.
Also, Pablove Black and SASA African Dance Theatre, a collective that uses drums to pulse through the crowd, and dancers that sway and leap. The dancers usually wear garments dyed in rich oranges, golds, and deep greens or white. Around their waists are belts adorned with cowrie shells and beads, each piece telling a story of lineage and African history.
“Since this is our fourth one, I’m seeing more diversity in our business,” says Brooks. “We’re getting some attention from artists who are out of state. It’s about women creating their own space for their gifts and I’m happy that space is at ArtServe.”
Brooks would eventually like to bring the festival to a wider audience as a tour that goes beyond Florida or maybe to different countries around the world.
“Regardless of where we are, we want to showcase the arts and the beauty that comes from it,” says Brooks. “It goes beyond the canvas or the stage. It goes to the community and truly makes us one because the arts is still alive.”
IF YOU GO
WHAT: “Women in Music Ayo Festival”
WHERE: ArtServe Fort Lauderdale, 1350 East Sunrise Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale
WHEN: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 31
TICKETS: $20 or $10 each with 2-for-1 offer. Free for children under 12.
INFORMATION: Call (954) 462-8190 or http://www.womeninmusicayo.org
