Founded in 1993, Oriki Theater is a non-profit organization that promotes the African and African-American experience in the Peninsula and Silicon Valley through workshops, performances and outreach programs. In particular, Oriki Theater works with young boys and girls by teaching them drama, music and literature relevant to the African diaspora. Oriki Theater partners with the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. Oriki is a word that comes from the Yoruba people of Western Nigeria that does not have an English equivalent, but its closest meaning is a poem praising or capturing the essence of a person.