18: a moving, spiritual experience

A conversation with Dr. Shawn E. Okpebholo. A sought-after and wonderful composer, Shawn’s parents are from the United States and Nigeria. We talk about what it means to be Black and/or African-American, how his worldview has shifted in the last fifteen years, and how strongly knowing his own roots influenced his trajectory. We also talk about the importance of being Nigerian for for him growing up as well as the joy and surprise of going there for the first time as an adult, paired with the immediate sense of connection and belonging that he felt meeting his family.

For more information about his work, visit shawnokpebholo.com