ekottomagazine
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Mastho Ribocho
Loa Löhe
Geoff Aymer
It's Worth Dreaming
Geoff Aymer
Photos and videos
Current projects
Preserving the Bubi language
WË BÖTYÖ
New single by Mastho Ribocho, Youth gathering in Basakato SF., Bubis name calendar 2026, literary work the rite of BOSÏO in the bubi village by Kopesese Sepa Bonaba.
Soésiöbo and Carlos Bolete Lobete
Ë KOTTÒ, is a magazine of the cultural field in all its disciplines.
We are committed to bringing culture closer to our readers. Our goal is to give visibility to sectors that lack this opportunity of presence in large media platforms.
Our publications will be monthly and we will focus on four basic sections and four complementary ones.
INFORMATION, INTERVIEWS, ACTIVITY AND PROMOTION, and SOKKÒ, ËTYÖ LAÖTYA, OPINION y EDITORIAL
EDITORIAL
A general story on a specific theme of each edition.
INFORMATION: Its content will be based on knowing the path of our guests. That is, what you could call their biography.
2. INTERVIEW. Focused on the professional field.
3. ACTIVITY: Focused on our guest's current affairs.
4. PROMOTION: Publicize everything related to the works of our guest or in its case what it believes necessary to promote related to his or her professional work.
OPINION
It is a section for sociocultural opinion articles.
SOKKÒ
It is a section with a variety of socio-cultural news.
POET'S BLOG
A section for poetry and poems.
ËTYÖ LAÖTYA
It is a section of learning and knowledge about the Bóbë-Bubi identity in its different manifestations.
With the magazine Ë KOTTÓ, we will bring culture a little closer to our homes.
Editorial
IT'S WORTH DREAMING
With each passing day, the range of content in this cultural information adventure expands.
Since this seed of communication was sown, despite adversity, this dream remains alive, convinced that there is no hopeful future without hard work. The United Kingdom is our last stop of the year with a personality from the world of literature, theater, and cinema.
In one way or another, we can say that we are fortunate because every month we try to bring our commitment to the homes of our readers. We recognize the difficulties of publishing an edition every month to continue growing because it is not easy.
Our editorial line is well defined: culture and more culture. We would like to thank all these personalities who have offered us their knowledge to fill the pages of our and your magazine. And, in a special way, to our readers, thank you for allowing us to take a few minutes of your time to take a look at our magazine on your phone or computer and browse our social networks and platforms to find out about our work. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Story
GEOFF AYMER
Geoffrey Aymer is a Black British performer and writer who has been plying his trade in these two disciplines for well over three decades. In the past he’s performed dozens of stand-up gigs, and numerous live sketch comedy shows, writing much of the material as well as performing it. While he no longer does stand-up or sketches, he continues to act, and to date, has appeared/performed in more than 40 stage productions, and over a dozen film/TV productions. He has also written scripts for around a dozen stage productions and one TV pilot.
Geoff was originally born in London, U.K., but spent his entire teens in the Caribbean—Jamaica and The Bahamas—and even had a stint during his late teens/early 20s living in the USA before returning to the U.K. where he’s now been living for a little over 40 years. His experiences of life in these different locales have had some influence in shaping his view of the world which has of course had some effect on the way he writes.
Geoff initially took an interest in acting as a hobby which he hoped might cure chronic shyness but very quickly developed a passion for it. But he also wanted to create stories, so he immediately took an interest in writing as well. Intrigued and fascinated by how great comedians and comedy writers came up with material that would have audiences howling with laughter, he studied very closely the mechanics of how comedic lines and moments were constructed. Much of the material that he writes is infused with large chunks of comedy and the odd bit of social commentary as well.
For the past 5 years, Geoff has been commissioned to write Christmas plays for a small theatre in South London called Theatre Peckham. These stories are usually based on a well-known fairy tale or other Christmas story. The first two of these were The Wonderful an adaptation of L Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz; and Scroogelicious, an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Both of these adaptations start out in the South London area known as Peckham. In the case of The Wonderful, our heroine is transplanted from a local African/Caribbean restaurant to a magical Afro-futuristic land called Ozanda—think Oz meets Wakanda. In Scroogelicious, a young Black self-made multi-millionaire, who’s completely lost touch with his humble beginnings seeks to engineer the complete gentrification of the neighbourhood he grew up in while becoming ever more greedy and curmudgeonly. The latest, upcoming production will be Alice In Wonderland, in which a 13-year-old girl, obsessed with her phone/tablets etc. finds herself in a strange surreal land without her screens and therefore has to navigate her way through it by using her wits and intellect.
Geoff’s most recent acting jobs have been playing the ghost of Hamlet’s father and the player king in a production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet at the Chichester Festival Theatre, and he is currently preparing for an upcoming production of the Stephen Sondheim musical Into The Woods at The Bridge Theatre in London.
Interview
GEOFF AYMER
Hello Geoff. How are you?
I’m good. Maybe a bit tired. The show I’m currently performing in, Sondheim’s INTO THE WOODS opened a couple of nights ago. The show I’ve written--the modern day adaptation of ALICE IN WONDERLAND has also just opened. Both shows seemed to have been very well received so far. _
Thank you for accepting E Kotto magazine’s invitation.
1. Early in your life, you spent time living in the Caribbean and the United States. What are some of the different cultural elements you experienced in those places that shaped your views of the world and how did they influence your writing?
The Caribbean is more laid back. The pace is not as fast as the USA. The difference in weather obviously plays some part in this. Some of the music is different. Musically, the Caribbean had heavy American influences of soul/R&B, but also has its own musical identity depending on where in the Caribbean you are. Jamaica of course is known for reggae while the smaller islands at that time had calypso and soca. Over time reggae has come to dominate all the islands a lot more but the calypso music is still around. I was intrigued by the way music was formatted on US radio stations—each station basically played one type of music eg. soul/r&b on one station, country and western on another station and so forth. The other thing that I remember was that during the 1970s, there seemed to be a lot more political discourse coming out of the Caribbean. I think many of the islands were trying to establish an independent identity separating themselves from the old UK colonial masters. At that time, Americans didn’t seem that interested in political discourse. One thing I do remember though, is noticing that there are similarities regarding Black culture in both the Caribbean and the USA. Examples such as food preparation, types of films that go down well with the public—Black folks in the Caribbean and the USA (and in the UK I later found out) love a Kungfu film. Certain types of board games—both sets of people seem to love dominoes. Old folklore tales. In the Caribbean there’s a character called Anansi. He’s half-man, half spider and is known for his cunning and trickery. The similarities between Anansi stories and the Uncle Remus/Brer Rabbit tales from the America’s deep south, some of which I heard when I was a small boy still living in the U.K. ere remarkable. It just proves the point that Caribbean and African American ancestors were taken from the same place because that cannot just be a coincidence. Anyway, that’s just a few examples.
2. Coming up as a standup comedian, how did you hone your craft?
I fell into doing stand-up by accident. It wasn’t something I was intending to do. Myself and a friend who met while doing youth theatre simply wanted to write and perform in comedy sketches so that’s how we started writing comedic material. Another person who we were working with on a stage play was starting a new comedy club and was looking for new acts, and a mutual friend suggested we try out. Neither of us really knew how to craft a joke, but we knew the sort of stuff we liked be it sitcoms, sketches or other established stand-ups do we followed examples of watching and relating how they did it.
3. What are the mechanics of how comedic lines and moments are constructed?
Hmm, difficult to put this into words. I’ve been doing this for so long, I just go with my instincts of what’s funny and what isn’t. I think at the core of it, it’s observing a particular situation and looking at the most absurd and ridiculous version of that situation or indeed it might be a person. You also have to figure out the rhythm and timing of a joke once you’ve written the material and punchline because poor delivery of a potentially funny gag can make it seem painfully unfunny.
4. How did you hone your craft as an actor? What have you learned since your first performances on stage or film through to the present? What was your favorite role to play?
It’s about inhabiting another person based on how that person is written in the script. A good script really does flesh out a character on the page, and as I’m learning my lines I begin to form a strong picture of who that person is and why they’ve made the choices they’ve made in the story. I think it helps to have a strong sense of empathy and understanding of human nature, and as I’ve got older and had more life experiences, it’s helped give me a broader range of understanding various types of people.
5. You have performed in more than 40 stage productions and over a dozen film/TV productions. Tell us about your favorite stage production and your favorite film/TV production.
In terms of stage productions, there have been a quite few I really liked so I’ll try and narrow it down. I’ve played the character Hoke in Driving Miss Daisy on 3 separate occasions and it’s a meaty part and the character himself is very likeable as well, and a lot smarter than he may appear to be at first glance. Another one was Friar Lawrence in a recent production of Romeo and Juliet. To date it’s the largest Shakespearean part I’ve played, and I was pleased to get my head properly around the language and make sense of it. I will also mention a musical called The Big Life. I initially had a small-ish part in that but ended up having to cover some of the bigger roles due to other actors coming down with various illnesses during its run in the West End. To date, it’s the only Black British musical to make it to London’s West End, which is the equivalent of New York’s Broadway. The musical told of the travails of the Windrush generation i.e. my parents' generation who were invited to help rebuild Britain after the damage it suffered during WWII, but they were met with the most appalling racism when they got here. In terms of film/TV roles, I haven’t really had big roles as such. During lockdown, however, I did this online production which was kind of part theatre/part film in its presentation. In it I got to play an aging astronaut--80 something, so I needed a ton of ageing up make-up. It was basically a semi-fictional account of the Apollo 13 space mission, and a played the older version of one of the astronauts on that mission. The action flitted back and forth between me and another actor playing older versions of these astronauts telling of our experience in retrospect, and other actors playing out the actual space mission.
7. You performed in the film “Wicked”. Please tell us about that experience.
It was what is known in the business as a “straight offer” i.e. unlike many I didn’t have to audition for it. A member of the choreography had seen many months earlier auditioning for something else entirely different and remembered me from that so when she was asked to suggest names for the crowd/chorus scenes, she put my name forward. I thought I was only going to have to do a bit of singing, but I ended up learning a pretty difficult dance routine, and dance is not my forte, so it was especially challenging. It was about 4 or 5 weeks of seriously hard work, incredibly long hours, and physically exhausting. I’ve had regular jobs where I’ve worked in warehouses loading heavy boxes on to trucks on the night shift, but this was harder! However, when I look back at the final product, I feel it was totally worth it.
8. How do you feel when you see your writing come to life on stage or screen?
I feel an immense sense of pride, especially if it really seems to work. It also feels really good being able to create work for other actors.
9. You have been writing Christmas plays for the Theatre Peckham in South London for the past 5 years. Please tell us about your creative process for this project. When do you start? How do you ideate? How long does it take you to complete?
I started on the first one during lockdown back in 2020. I hadn’t written anything for quite some time before then but as I had time on my hands because of the Covid quarantine, I really dived into it. The basis of all these particular shows is we use a well-known fairy tale or iconic story and give it a modern adaptation. Also, because we are catering to the local community in Peckham, the adaptations usually start off in Peckham before the central characters get transported somewhere else (or not depending on the tale). Also, the cast is made up of a handful of adult professional actors and loads of young people—age range between 9 and 16 usually. These young people attend performing arts classes at this same theatre and quite a few of them have ambitions to go on and do stuff professionally whether it’s dance, music, acting etc. There will usually be around 30 of these kids altogether—2 teams of 15. And each team will alternate the shows during the run, as they themselves are not paid professionals. So, one of the things I have to do as the writer for these shows is infuse them with themes, language and other motifs that young people can relate. That usually means at some point when I’m writing these, I have to learn how teenagers and tweens talk, which for a 60-something man can be its own challenge but it is fun and fascinating learning how these young people relate to each other and the rest of the world. Regarding the ideas. Sometimes the artistic director of the theatre, Suzann McLean, herself a Black actor and director of many years, may suggest an idea to me. This was the case with very first one I wrote. She said that when she spoke to the youngsters about what they’d like to see or perform, they said “Wizard Of Oz meets Black Panther”. As an avid Marvel Comics enthusiast from childhood, I didn’t need much convincing. So, the story started out in Peckham near Christmas time rather than Kansas; the heroine was a teenage girl of African and Caribbean heritage, who was supposed to be helping out in her Grandma’s takeaway restaurant but got swept off by a winter storm to Ozanda—an amalgamation of Oz and Wakanda—where as well as being a magical place, it was Afro-futuristic with technological advances not yet seen in the outside world. To get back to Peckham, she had to find a man known only as The Wonderful, and was helped on her journey by a talking mannequin (replacing the scarecrow from the original story), a cyborg/AI type (replacing the tin man), and a lion with a difference in that this cowardly lion had fashioned himself as a London street gang member who’s theme tune was a grime rap (the school audiences who came to see it, especially loved that tune!), The twist with the lion is that unbeknown to his “crew”, he was secretly a vegan, and he would also let slip that he was well-read. The second show I wrote was my idea. I went with an adaptation of the Charles Dickens character, A Christmas Carol, and we called it Scroogelicious. The main character, Ebony Scrooge was a 30/40 something self-made Black millionaire property developer/slum landlord who had originally grown up impoverished on rough council estate in Peckham but had got a scholarship to an exclusive high school, kind of like a boarding school. From there he’s gone on to university, worked as a lawyer in a firm that specialized in legal aid type cases, helping people on low income. However, he’s been head hunted by an unscrupulous property developer who’d mentored him and corrupted him so when we first meet him, he is money obsessed mean anti-Christmas, capitalist pig dog hell bent on completely gentrifying Peckham and pricing all the low income people out of the area. The gentrification aspect really struck a chord with audiences because that’s happening all over London right now, particularly in parts that used to be seen as low-income/ impoverished areas. In terms of how much time I have to write these shows, it’s usually a couple of months for a first draft, then a couple more months for a second draft. On occasion a third might be needed but I can usually get it done in two. And it has to be ready for rehearsal by the start of the school year as the youngsters start rehearsing twice weekly from then. The adults don’t get brought in til mid November for 2 weeks of rehearsal. Lastly, all these shows have music. So, as well as writing the script, I also write the lyrics for the songs (which is its own specialist task), and a young man called Jordan Xavier writes the music for the songs.
10. As an artist, what do you hope to impart to people? What impact do you want to make?
My first priority is to entertain people; give them a good laugh and a bit of good cheer. Lord knows we all need that right now. For the young people who come to watch these shows, it’s a great way to get them interested in the theatre and the arts in general, particularly if you can find a way to make the stories relevant to them and their lives. But I also want the adults who bring these kids to the shows to be as entertained as the young people are so it’s about striking that balance that lands with both sets of audience. Also, because we are partly aiming these at young people, both Suzann and I are very keen on imparting some sort of message/ morality tale within the story.
11. What advice would you give to aspiring actors and writers?
It’s not just about your talent. You have to be prepared to work damn hard in this business, and. If you really want to succeed, be very persistent and don’t give up. You may find your resolve severely tested at times—only a tiny percentage of actors are in regular work doing the actual job of acting, and for many, it’s not worth it, which is understandable. We all have to make a living somehow. But if you really want this, hang in there. And really work at being the best you can possibly be at it too. Never assume that you’ve gotten to a place where you have nothing new to learn because you’ll end up stagnating and growing as an artist. There is ALWAYS something new you can learn.
12. What would you like to do as an actor or writer that you have not done yet?
Two major things: write a full-fledged stage musical; and a feature film script. I do have a few ideas so it’s just about finding the time but watch this space.
Thank you for sharing with us. Is there anything else you would like to say to the readers of E Kotto magazine?
Thanks for showing an interest in what I do as a Black creative living and working in the U.K. There is an incredible amount of Black creative talent in the U.K. right now in terms of acting, music, writing etc. A few have found success in the USA, but they are just a small fraction of what’s actually blossomed here in a relatively short space of time. By the way, John Boyega used to attend classes at Theatre Peckham as a youth so who knows, one of the youngsters I’m currently working with may become a big deal in years to come!
Activity
"Quietus"
"Apollo 13 Dark Side of the Moon"
"CEO MTN ePresence Boardroom
TV Commercial"
Giles Terera as Hamlet and Geoff Aymer as Ghost of old Hamlet in Hamlet at Chichester Festival Theatre, ©Ellie Kurttz
Hamlet Rehearsal
Hamlet Final Bow
"Wicked", Universal Pictures
"Jitney"
Old Vic/Headlong/Leeds Playhouse
Michael Salami and Geoff Aymer
"Two Trains Running"
English Touring Theatre / Royal & Derngate Theatre
@Manuel Harlan
"Two Trains Running" Trailer
All About "Two Trains Running"
Photo: broadwayworld.com
Susan Penhaligon and Geoff Aymer
UK Tour of Oscar Wilde's
"The Importance of Being Earnest"
Photo: broadwayworld.com
Sitcom Pilot written by Geoff Aymer
Promotion
5th - 23rd December
Audience Reaction to
"Alice in Wonderland"
Wed 3 December 2025 – Sat 30 May 2026
CONTACT INFO: email: geoffreyaymer@hotmail Tel. +447965 611676
OPINION
BÖSUBÓBBÈ MAY MATA
Preserving the Bubi language: a commitment for everyone
At the beginning of 2025, we eagerly awaited the arrival of Mother Language Week. However, this year the event was canceled, and many of us felt frustrated. Even so, this situation should not stop us; on the contrary, it is an impetus to seek new ways to keep our language alive.
Throughout this year, events have been organized in cultural centers, recitals by Bubi artists, and language workshops in various locations on the island. But the preservation of Bubi does not depend solely on these events. Every person who speaks the language can actively contribute: sharing words, greetings, and short phrases on WhatsApp statuses, with family, friends, and contacts on social media. Even those who are not Bubis can learn and contribute to expanding the language through curiosity and respect.
It is essential to repeat this many times: Bubis must support everything that has to do with our culture and language. Every conversation, every song, every word shared is an act of resistance and hope. A language is strengthened when its speakers promote it, when it leaves the privacy of homes and reaches public spaces, cultural gatherings, and digital platforms. If Bubi is only spoken in private, the future of the language is uncertain.
Furthermore, when it comes to those who speak Bubi, it is not enough to use the language among themselves; it is essential to pass it on to new generations. It is sad to see how some people who are fluent in Bubi resort to Spanish when addressing children, which represents a serious failure within the community. If this habit is not corrected, the consequences for the continuity of the language could be irreversible. Every Bubi greeting that is uttered and every phrase that is shared is a step towards the revitalization of our culture and towards a future in which the Bubi language remains alive and present in all possible spaces.
In a few weeks, many people will be talking about their New Year's resolutions. Why not include Bubi among them? Let 2026 be the year when everyone decides to learn to speak Bubi, or, if they already speak it, to make sure their children speak it too. Let the New Year's resolution be clear: to speak Bubi and keep our language and culture alive.
BÖSUBÓBBÈ MAY MATA
Poet's Blog
LÖTÓ’ÓLLÓ
Ö lötó’ólló ló oberi lue ribellè
Ëbóbë Kó lötó’ólló luaò
Kó vöótè wè eria’.ö.
Ö lötó’ólló ká rihóle, ka eteba,ká rimmamabió
wë pálá o párá lötó’ólló á tyílèrò itè atá,
hèrahò ö winnòò, ë tébáò,
ö wétáò,
Ö lötó’ólló kò bösori wè
tyekkú bö lè ökana bö, lö lókka,
lë kárityöbbò, lö bötatté,
lé bíriia biaó.
Kò böhai bö lè alla ‘ bö ë tyé tö purí ë.
Ë bëkeu bia betyö bi la rekèssa
ë bó wella ò lötó’ólló,
I nokkò í útubbam ka’ó :
ë bëtyètye bié biöllo bi kákabia
ë biëtta wëlla biá bikëbíkë.
Ö lötó’ólló Kó vöótè wè eria’ö le ribobo re biëká biao.
Ö lötó’ólló Kó böe, ló bö’ó bottó wà ribötyö rito.
“É ribötyö welá rima o le’á tölló, wae a ló lötó’ólló luá abobé, ötyommá.”
Soésiöbo. ©️2024
Ë ILÁM (MI VOZ)
by Carlos Bolete Lobete
Ë ilám.
Ballá ná bá la ipölla
öámmo ö böém wëla.
Biebba la ëhëá ná ë nkòm wëla
ë la tuturó.
Ë ilám.
Ballá ná bá la etya.
Ë röppa wëla bí la seballa la ëháe,
bësari ná bí la sölla ë bi íkkiò bí hatte
lë sihúruru.
My voice.
Words that emerge
from the depths of my soul.
Sound waves that slide in the tunnels of my neck
slither.
My voice.
Words that grow.
In pain they dream of calm,
symphonic notes that let their breath fly
with the breeze.
ËTYÖ LAÖTYA
For more information
Ë KOTTÒ
Publisher
Diversity Ëtyö Project
Magazine Director
Barbara May
Editor in Chief
Tomás May Pelico
Designer
Böhulá
Colaboration
Eduardo May Mata
ISSN 2833-4124
© 2025
All rights reserved.
May not be reproduced without the written permission of Ë KOTTÒ.
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