Africa’s major obstacle to economic growth lies in poor human capital development though with a combination of the neglects on basic social infrastructures and these in effect reduces economic opportunity and productivity on the part of the citizens. However in spite of these social inequalities there are a few of the citizens who have refused to be discouraged but have dared to make a remarkable difference in their chosen career particularly the entertainment industry. The focus of africanpolitics.eldeotjairay.com/entertainment, as a channel of propagating social action in line with the ideological proposition as a socio-political movement of the African youths inspired by the innate pride in the potentiality and greatness of the African art and the artists themselves, lies in the fact that the African youth remains the today and the future of the continent. This assertion is not an affront on the old and the elder statesmen of the continent rather it’s a timeliest and prompt assessment of the prevailing continental and global-regional psyche opinionated by the prevalent neglect and wrong use of the youth force by the political leaders.
Permit me at this juncture to present to you one of the great talents from the African soil. LEONARD IYARE OBINYAN(aka) LEYA. He is a Nigerian and an indigene of ubiaja in esan south-east Edo state. Born and brought up in Benin City the capital of Edo State. Leya as he is fondly called on stag even though he is just starting out, he has an unusually strong command of his music and has a fully-formed musical identity. He is a musician, a song writer, a drummer and a painter, indeed a true African a great talent of art and an artist of note. Many artists struggle to establish their musical identity, laboriously trying on different musical styles like a piece of clothing, looking to find what fits. But there are others that emerge fully formed, in full command of their craft and art, their identity and their music. Leya fits firmly in the latter category. His new album, his newly recorded single as a solo artist Bgoju-Bgoju in august 2012, is a captivating and moving debut that heralds the arrival of a gifted and significant new talent, one whose music feels familiar in the best possible way, while striking out on its own territory.
An Esan boy who grew up in Benin City, near…….. , Leya played drum as a child in his local church choir new covenant gospel church choir Benin city, but didn’t take music seriously until he met a guy called Raymond. A recording artist who saw his potential skills and talents as at the time, and encouraged him and that was how “he started writing songs in his head, and it took his interest in music to another level. He had to pick the pen and paper so he could cut music to the ideas he heard in his head. In 2007,Leya and his friend Raymond visited Lagos for the first time with their then demo cd, though the experience wasn’t quit desirable, it paved the way for Leya;s meeting with another guy called Ben, who taught and made him a better vocalist. I love the wide-openness of Leya;s life.” As a potentially great and an up-coming artist from the most concentrated black nation in the world. Benin city is the host to one of the very powerful, well respected and globally known monarch with an uncompromising African cultural and traditional heritage. Indeed, “Leya no fit fall our hand” because “Benin no dey carry last”.

With his diversified genre which flows from R&B/soul and Afro-pop, and a combination of his unique style, skills and vocal, I have no doubt that this artist name will certainly grow in a very short distance time in and around Benin, Lagos, Nigeria, Africa and the entire globe.Bgoju-Bgoju, Leya’s current single is expected to be the push to actualize this dream. From the opening notes of “bgoju-bgoju,” his first single, one hears that combination of melodic irresistibility and lyrical incisiveness that certainly will become Leya’s hallmarks.