Oko Drammeh

Oko Drammeh is a Gambian-born international music producer, DJ, festival promoter, ethnomusicologist, and cultural entrepreneur. He is best known for founding the African Music Festival in the Netherlands in 1983 and for helping bring African artists—including Salif Keita, Manu Dibango, and Youssou N’Dour—to wider global audiences.[thepoint][musicinafrica]

Early career

Drammeh was born in The Gambia to Kebba Landing Drammeh, a chief engineer at Gambia Marine, and Ya Aret Mboge, a political activist. He began as a DJ for radio stations, nightclubs, and social events, then became producer and promotions manager for the Gambian band Ifang Bondi.[thepoint][musicinafrica]

He moved to the Netherlands in 1981, where he recognized the international potential of African music and launched the African Music Festival in Delft in 1983. The festival became one of Europe’s longest-running and largest African music events, attracting more than 10,000 people annually.[musicinafrica][thepoint]

Soto Koto

In 2000, Drammeh founded Soto Koto Concert Management, which provided technical and production support for artists and event organizers. He also created the Soto Koto Band, a multicultural ensemble blending African rhythms, European dance music, and big-band jazz.[thepoint][thepoint]

Based in Hollywood, California, Soto Koto produced and distributed recordings through Higher Octave Music, Virgin Music, and EMI. Drammeh produced several albums and worked with Gambian musicians including Paps Touray, Ousman Beyai, and Jaliba Kuyateh.[thepoint][allafrica][thepoint][thepoint]

Cultural advocacy

Drammeh has organized concerts, festivals, symposiums, and cultural exhibitions across Europe and the United States. He produced documentaries on African music and culture for the BBC, wrote for DownBeat magazine, and lectured internationally on African music.[thepoint][thepoint]

He has also promoted Gambian heritage internationally, including organizing the first International Kora Festival in The Gambia to elevate the kora as a globally recognized instrument.[thepoint]

Gambian music institutions

After returning to The Gambia, Drammeh helped establish the Union of Gambian Musicians (MUSIGAM), the Gambia Copyright Office, and the Royalty Collecting Society of The Gambia. He served as secretary of the Copyright Office and secretary-general of the Royalty Collecting Society in 2012.[thepoint][musicinafrica]

He has been a public advocate for copyright protection, arguing that Gambians should safeguard their cultural heritage, instruments, stories, and creative work.[voicegambia]

Legacy

Oko Drammeh is regarded as a pioneer of African world music promotion. His career helped create international platforms for African artists and positioned The Gambia as a source of globally influential music, particularly through the kora, Mandinka traditions, and Senegambian popular music.[thepoint][musicinafrica][thepoint]