Yacine Badian Kouyate, PhD
 UC Davis, Co-Founder Birdland Jazzista
Scientist, Professor, 
Oakland - From Mali, West Africa
Dr. Yacine Badian Kouyate holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of California at Davis, and a Master of Science in Genetics from Moscow State University in Russia.
Dr. Kouyate has conducted and published scientific research in academia and the biotechnology industry in the areas of plant virus interaction, genetics and immunodiagnostics including a patented method and device for HIV analysis and research.
A student of cultural history Dr. Kouyate stewards the wisdom and traditions of thousands of years of the Bambara and Dogon peoples.  As a consultant for the Timbuktu Educational Foundation, Dr. Kouyates compositions have been used in the documentary, “Timbuktu: The Untold Story”, produced in 2003, he Making of African Cinema a film about Sembene Ousmane and John Singleton, Rouch in the reverse by Manthia Diawara
A singer songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, performer and producer, Dr. Kouyate was a founding member of popular Davis band "Civil Rhythm"  in te late 80 S band at the forefront of the Anti Apartheid mouvement,
Dr kouyate has shared the stage with such music luminaries as Salif Keita, Toumani Diabate, Miriam Makeba, Khalil Shaheed, Eddie Marshal, Richard howel, Hugh Masakela and Cecil Taylor. Performance venues have included The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, New York University, Yoshi’s in Oakland, and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. the Fillmore etc....
His teaching and speaking engagements – on the music and spiritual traditions of Africa, microbiology, the intersections of ancient wisdom and modern science, and other topics – have taken him to Stanford University, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, California Institute of Integral Studies, Mills College, Naropa Institute, New York University, Columbia University, Wisdom University to name a few.
Dr Kouyate is a faculty at World Indigenous Science Network an organization based in Lahaina Hawaii.

5 rhythms teacher since 1994 and facilitator of the Nijmegen 5 Rhythm tribe.
Committed to movement, connection 
and an unfolding heart grounded in ceremony.

Hi!

I'm Kaya. I'm a multi-disciplinary artist born and raised on Turtle Island, known as Vancouver, BC. Both classically trained and self-taught, my musical style ranges from folk, RnB to Hip Hop, trap and EDM. 

My aim as an artist is to create honest and real music from the depth of my Human Experience, in hopes that those who need the Reflection will Resonate. I'm basically just another human living life. With every high and low, I do my best to feel into what is there for me to learn and transmute that into Songs to Release stories that may otherwise get stuck. The alchemizing of my feelings into music honestly heals me, and I hope it can help you heal you too! bless.

Mystic Column is the songwriting / music production team of Mikuak Rai and Bilal Samadhi.

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