Iteoluwa David Akinsete Takes His Place Among the Performers at BAFA 2026 in Bradford

By Emmanuel Daraloye

Bradford was filled with music, colour and African culture last week as the Bradford African Festival of Arts returned for its third edition, bringing together performers and creatives from across the African diaspora.

Among those taking part was Nigerian musician Iteoluwa David Akinsete, who performed as part of the festival’s programme during the six-day celebration.

BAFA 2026, which ran from 3 to 8 August, was built around the theme “NKOSOO, Advancement and Progress” and brought together music, film, theatre, fashion, visual art, food and community events across the city. The festival ended with a large public celebration at Centenary Square and City Park, with Nigerian Afrobeat star Chuddy K and Namibian artist Diop KDK among the headline performers.

For Iteoluwa, however, the occasion was about more than simply appearing on a festival programme. It gave the musician an opportunity to perform his work in front of a wider audience and to become part of a festival that has grown considerably since its first edition in 2024.

Playing alongside the saxophonist, Adedoyin Oseni and singers like O’Phils, RukeGure and Yemi Pelda, his performance brought another Nigerian voice to a festival that was deliberately broad in its musical and cultural offering. BAFA’s programme moved between established performers, emerging artists and different forms of African artistic expression, making the stage a meeting point for musicians with very different backgrounds and approaches.

The festival itself has grown quickly. What began in 2024 as a two-day event expanded to four days in 2025 before becoming a six-day programme this year. Its organisers describe the festival as a way of celebrating and promoting African culture while creating opportunities for African and diaspora communities to engage with the wider Bradford community.

That growth was evident throughout this year’s programme. The opening took place at the University of Bradford, followed by film programming, theatre, fashion and pageantry, an African open market and finally the outdoor festival day in the city centre.

Music director and performance director Tope Dada was responsible for elements of the festival’s live music programme, including artist coordination and musical arrangements. The festival also featured its own theme song, “NKOSOO”, written and produced for the 2026 edition.

Iteoluwa’s appearance came within that wider musical programme, placing his performance alongside artists representing different generations and parts of the African music scene.

What stood out about his contribution was his restraint and musical sensitivity on the bass. Rather than dominating the performance, he used the instrument to connect the rhythm and harmony, listening closely to the musicians around him.

At one point, as the music opened up, Iteoluwa gradually introduced melodic phrases and variations while keeping the groove steady, showing his ability to express himself without taking anything away from the song.

There was also a sense of discipline and control in the way Iteoluwa approached the performance. Rather than simply matching the festival’s energy, he chose his moments, moving between deep grooves and more expressive passages, giving the audience an unfiltered experience of the musician behind the performance.

That is important at a festival of this size. With several artists sharing the programme, a performer has only a short time to leave an impression. Iteoluwa used his appearance to demonstrate a bass-playing style built around groove, timing, melody and expression, and his performance added to the variety of musical voices represented at BAFA this year.

The festival attracted a wide range of guests from Bradford’s civic, academic and cultural communities, as well as representatives connected with African diplomatic missions and organisations. The University of Bradford has also remained an important partner in BAFA’s development.

But for the musicians on stage, the significance of BAFA is ultimately found in the opportunity to play.

For Iteoluwa, the Bradford performance provided one more step in that journey: a chance to bring his musicianship to a new audience and to perform within a festival that is becoming an increasingly important part of the city’s cultural calendar.

BAFA’s organisers have said that the festival is intended to present African culture not as something fixed in the past, but as something continuing to develop through music, film, fashion, art, enterprise and new forms of creative expression.

His performance was a reminder that African stories in Britain could be told by non established names as well. It is also being shaped by musicians such as Iteoluwa, who are finding opportunities to bring their own work to audiences and to contribute to the next chapter of African creative life in the UK.