YAWO, acoustic afrofunk

Art in the cafe...

Members of Red Pine


"Permutations of Red Pine"


September 2026



A Red Pine tree was planted at the corner of 212 Merry Street in the late 60s that evolved over the decades into a cooperative household. We are making it a place for comity and creativity; Clarity and the imagination; we change detritus of early 21st century late stage capitalism into art, shrine, paintings, music, sculptures, urban Permaculture and homesteading experiments. We appreciate the used, the worn out, ever crumbling and reassembling; as we all are all the time.
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Saturday, April 21, 2007

A native of Togo, West Africa, Yawo started his musical career at the ---Ecole Experimentale de musique--- of Lome where he studied flute, classical guitar, and electric bass.

As the leader of the high school band he formed with his brother and sister, Yawo Attivor developed a talent for composing and arranging music that embraces both the traditions of the Ewe tribe and the influences of the western civilization. This multicultural approach to songwriting led to the creation of the MIMI-Togo (International Movement for Innovative music-Togo branch) which Yawo directed until he left Togo in 1992 as a result of political turmoil in his motherland.

In 1993, Yawo joined the international organization Up With People, traveling the U.S. and Europe, promoting peace and understanding among the citizens of the world. After Up with People, Yawo, his cousin Ro Attivor(aka Ro Bezz), Sarah Agbeto and guitarist Matt Hupton created Doliho, an afropop project that rocked the Midwest in the late 90s.

In 2002, after he moved to Minneapolis a year earlier, Yawo launched a solo career with the album ---Celebrate--- (Mia du agbe) followed in October 2004 by ---Take Out the Fences---, a ---refreshingly upbeat--- (Minneapolis Star-Tribune) album that breaks musical barriers with an explosion of afrobeat, afrofunk and reggae.YAWO is currently working on an acoustic album.

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