By Dafe Ivwurie
Will it be right to say that we are in a season of good luck? If we are, I think it is in order to wish our own super Eagles of Nigeria luck as they participate in this year’s FIFA World Cup tournament taking place for the first time on the African continent.
I must confess that I am particularly not expecting anything spectacular from the men and boys that Lars Lagerback has drafted to the team. There is, to say the truth, no discovery in the team to cause any excitement, the kind that the merciless Messi of Argentina, the ruthless Rooney of England, the ageless Ribery of France, the calculating Kaka of Brazil and of course the capricious Ronaldo of Portugal would cause any back line.
But it is not that bad. The name of our president is Goodluck and we can just hope that the cosmic powers will use that to our favour. I do not expect that we will beat Argetina in our first outing. But with some good fortune, we can expect that after trailing 0-3 fifteen minutes to the end of the game, Maradona’s team will lose focus and capitulate forcing them to make errors like own goal, handling the ball in the 18 yard box and under a lucky, cheeky one from the never-say-die Kanu Nwakwo.
I predict that the only team that we will beat fair and square will be the Republic of Korea by one goal. I expect us to draw with Greece. That will leave us with five points from the possible nine. That should take us through behind Argetina who will have 7 points. Once we qualify, we would need the services of Baba Eleran of IICC fame (is Baba still alive) or at least get someone who has learnt his trade of balubalu. Or we go to Warri to seek Rev. Gbejero, the pastor and emergency sports analyst who insists that the mere fact that he is invited to analyse matches means good luck and victory for Nigeria. See, we need all the good luck in the world.
I suspect that we might play England either in semi finals or the finals. I know this will annoy my friends who are Manchester United and Chelsea fans, but I am sorry to say that it is likely that Rooney’s injury might resurface and John Terry marital wahala might take a new twist that will force him to pull out of the competition. We will qualify for the final play either England or Brazil. Once we do, President, Goodluck Jonathan will lead a powerful delegation of men in government and eminent Nigerians to go and see and give the players moral support as well as to impart some goodluck anointing to them. We will win by a 'hand of God' goal which the referee will not see of course and bring the trophy home to Nigeria and to Africa for the first time.
Please be informed that this analysis is not based on any informed knowledge or understanding of the game, only on the fact that I choose to guard my heart against anything that will cause undue palpitations. I just want to enjoy this World Cup and I hope you do, too.
Nigerian Music, popular culture and politics
Monday, June 07, 2010
IBB’s ‘imoratlise Abiola’ heresy
By Dafe Ivwurie
The dictionary defines the word heresy as unorthodox religious opinion or the holding of an unorthodox religious opinion; one that is inconsistent with and contradicts established religious teaching, especially one that is officially condemned by a religious authority.
Permit me to remove the word heresy from its original contextual habitat and place it in an environment that is also as delicate, organized and subject to a lot of human abuses like religion - democracy. The simplest definition of democracy is “the government of the people, by the people and for the people”. The setting up this government and its powers is derived from the constitution agreed upon by the people. So it irks me when men who have raped, battered, refused and rejected the thriving of democracy in the history of Nigeria come out and mouth words about democracy; words that in my own opinion amount to profanities.
Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and whatever he does or says does not excite me. But it is important that just in case there is somebody writing a script for him on national issues, the Minna-born general should consider firing the person because the fellow is a bad script writer. And if some of his recent pronouncements are a product of his thought processes, therefore his considered opinion, then he has completely lost the battle to redeem himself.
It is utter heresy, down right profane, for General Ibrahim Babangida, former military head of state, military president and democracy batterer to state that MKO Abiola should be immortalized. IBB’s statement is an insult on the sensibilities of many Nigerians who fought for civil rule and democracy and who are still alive to tell the story today. I am also sure that it will make those who died in the struggle to turn in their grave when they hear him pontificate on a matter that you do not ‘have a mouth in’.
Abiola or any other person who died or suffered while fighting for democracy to be instituted in the country, do not need the government to immortalize them; they do not need a political proclamation that only seeks to keep the like of IIB on the front pages of newspapers. Abiola is already immortalized in the hearts of members of his family, in the thousands of newspaper stories and millions of words that have been written about him and his overwhelming victory at the polls that General Ibrahim Babangida annulled to his shame.
Whatever General Babangida’s achievement as head of state for 8 years pales in comparison to the impact his annulling the June 12 1993 elections has had on the nation. I think the general should take his words back.
The dictionary defines the word heresy as unorthodox religious opinion or the holding of an unorthodox religious opinion; one that is inconsistent with and contradicts established religious teaching, especially one that is officially condemned by a religious authority.
Permit me to remove the word heresy from its original contextual habitat and place it in an environment that is also as delicate, organized and subject to a lot of human abuses like religion - democracy. The simplest definition of democracy is “the government of the people, by the people and for the people”. The setting up this government and its powers is derived from the constitution agreed upon by the people. So it irks me when men who have raped, battered, refused and rejected the thriving of democracy in the history of Nigeria come out and mouth words about democracy; words that in my own opinion amount to profanities.
Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and whatever he does or says does not excite me. But it is important that just in case there is somebody writing a script for him on national issues, the Minna-born general should consider firing the person because the fellow is a bad script writer. And if some of his recent pronouncements are a product of his thought processes, therefore his considered opinion, then he has completely lost the battle to redeem himself.
It is utter heresy, down right profane, for General Ibrahim Babangida, former military head of state, military president and democracy batterer to state that MKO Abiola should be immortalized. IBB’s statement is an insult on the sensibilities of many Nigerians who fought for civil rule and democracy and who are still alive to tell the story today. I am also sure that it will make those who died in the struggle to turn in their grave when they hear him pontificate on a matter that you do not ‘have a mouth in’.
Abiola or any other person who died or suffered while fighting for democracy to be instituted in the country, do not need the government to immortalize them; they do not need a political proclamation that only seeks to keep the like of IIB on the front pages of newspapers. Abiola is already immortalized in the hearts of members of his family, in the thousands of newspaper stories and millions of words that have been written about him and his overwhelming victory at the polls that General Ibrahim Babangida annulled to his shame.
Whatever General Babangida’s achievement as head of state for 8 years pales in comparison to the impact his annulling the June 12 1993 elections has had on the nation. I think the general should take his words back.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Glossary Of Current Nigerian Political Terms
By Dafe Ivwurie
In Nigerian politics there are no dull moments. There is always something to talk about at the national, state or local government levels. And we must give kudos to the Nigeria press for always bringing us up to speed with happenings all over the country. Had it not been for members of the Fourth Estate of the realm, we would not have known the intrigues and power play that almost consumed the political soul of the country at the height of the Yar’Adua-is-sick-Goodluck-must-take-over debacle.
I am wondering, is anybody writing a book on “The Politics of Sickness and Presidential Succession”? The title can always change depending on what you prefer to focus on. But that is not our concern here at the moment.
I have been looking at a number of words that have been used profusely in the Nigerian press in the last six months and how they will shape the coming campaign and election season. Although I call it a glossary of current buzzwords in Nigerian political conversation, it is not in alphabetical order, neither is it exhaustive. I have chosen to start with the word cabal.
The dictionary meanings of the word cabal are; a small group of secret plotters, as against a government or person in authority; the plots and schemes of such a group; intrigue. The word came to national prominence when all the shenanigans about the politics of the health of the late Umaru Yar’Adua were on. It was reported that a certain cabal, a group of plotters, intriguers or junta were taking advantage of the late President’s incapacitation to ‘arrange’ themselves. In case you are not familiar with Nigerian street language, the word ‘arrange’ means to manipulate a situation to achieve a desired selfish motive. Reports had it that Hajia Turai Yar’Adua was the head of that infamous group of arrangers or cabal.
However, the death of Yar’Adua does not mean that the word has been expunged from current political usage. Probably relegated to the background but also assuming a more strategic role in the emergence of Goodluck Jonathan as the would-be presidential flag bearer for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Please note names like Theophilus Danjuma, Mike Oghiadomhe, Ima Niboro, Cairo Ojougboh in the coming months and many more that will come up. Synonyms for cabal are manipulating (manipulators), collude (colluders), conspire (conspirators) and scheme (schemers).
The next word is zoning. It would help for you to disregard the geography and regional planning definition of the word. Also, it has nothing to do with the time segmentation of the earth or the allocation of land. Zoning is a political term coined by the ruling PDP. It became popular in the run up to the election that brought Olusegun Obasanjo into power in 1999. The argument was that the acclaimed winner of the nullified June 12, 1993 election, Bashorun MKO Abiola, was from the South West of Nigeria; and since he was not allowed to take up his mandate before he died in prison, it was politically expedient to pacify that zone, region, geographical location by ‘enthroning’ one of his kinsmen. The pattern, which is enshrined in the constitution of the PDP and which is almost being peddled as if it is entrenched in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was what brought Yar’Adua and Jonathan to power in 2007. Please note that if PDP did not zone to the North, Goodluck Jonathan would not have been vice president and invariably president today. But is the largest party in Africa about to jettison or scrap that constitutional provision now that it seems that Goodluck may be interested in the presidency? Will Jonathan himself begin to plot with his own cabal to change the pattern? PDP seems to be boxed in now as they will have to contend with credibility issues when they begin to tinker their constitution again to achieve an arranged result. Synonyms for zoning are exclusion and elimination.
Governors’ Forum: Note that this noun is a political organisation. There are different factions of the Governors’ Forum like the Northern Governors Forum, the South South Governors Forum, the South West Governors Forum and of course, the PDP Governors Forum. It is not a political party but when its members are united, there is nothing they cannot achieve. For instance, it was reported in the press that the President was only able to choose a vice president, a governor from Kaduna State, after a meeting with the forum. Remember that Yar’Adua and Jonathan were members of that group when Lucky Igbinedion was the chairman. It will also do a world of good if you put this other fact at the back of your mind; that the governors played a major role in bringing the political impasse occasioned by the late president’s ill health to an ‘expedient resolution’. Synonyms for governors forum are power brokers, kingmakers and deal brokers.
Niger Delta: May I urge you to do away with the images of AK-47-wielding, grenade-launching and trigger-happy militants that have so much become the images that come to mind when the Niger Delta is mentioned in any conversation. It used to be that the images that the Niger Delta conjured in the past were that of environmental degradation, depravation, neglect and abject poverty amongst the people from whose community the oil that greases the wheel of development in other parts of the country, especially Abuja, is tapped. It seems to be convenient for some political players that militancy is drummed up as against the need to resolve the neglect that has been the case in the region forever. Goodluck Jonathan is from that region and a former governor of Bayelsa State, which is very active in the agitation for desired development of the people of the region. Now that one of their own is the Commander-in-chief, will they make it mandatory for the status quo to remain in order to ensure peace and speedy development? Will the ruling party use the current amnesty programme as a political tool? More than ever, the Niger Delta will play a major role in the coming election. Will the states that make up the region remain loyal to PDP? I get the feeling that if there is a candidate strong enough to sway the people into thinking that PDP has failed in most of the states in the region, PDP might lose some of them. Synonyms of Niger Delta are cash cow, neglect and troubled spot.
There are other words like, consensus, lobby, credible elections, electoral reforms and wait for this, IBB.
Published in Saturday Independent, 22 May, 2010: http://www.independentngonline.com/DailyIndependent/Article.aspx?id=13980
In Nigerian politics there are no dull moments. There is always something to talk about at the national, state or local government levels. And we must give kudos to the Nigeria press for always bringing us up to speed with happenings all over the country. Had it not been for members of the Fourth Estate of the realm, we would not have known the intrigues and power play that almost consumed the political soul of the country at the height of the Yar’Adua-is-sick-Goodluck-must-take-over debacle.
I am wondering, is anybody writing a book on “The Politics of Sickness and Presidential Succession”? The title can always change depending on what you prefer to focus on. But that is not our concern here at the moment.
I have been looking at a number of words that have been used profusely in the Nigerian press in the last six months and how they will shape the coming campaign and election season. Although I call it a glossary of current buzzwords in Nigerian political conversation, it is not in alphabetical order, neither is it exhaustive. I have chosen to start with the word cabal.
The dictionary meanings of the word cabal are; a small group of secret plotters, as against a government or person in authority; the plots and schemes of such a group; intrigue. The word came to national prominence when all the shenanigans about the politics of the health of the late Umaru Yar’Adua were on. It was reported that a certain cabal, a group of plotters, intriguers or junta were taking advantage of the late President’s incapacitation to ‘arrange’ themselves. In case you are not familiar with Nigerian street language, the word ‘arrange’ means to manipulate a situation to achieve a desired selfish motive. Reports had it that Hajia Turai Yar’Adua was the head of that infamous group of arrangers or cabal.
However, the death of Yar’Adua does not mean that the word has been expunged from current political usage. Probably relegated to the background but also assuming a more strategic role in the emergence of Goodluck Jonathan as the would-be presidential flag bearer for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Please note names like Theophilus Danjuma, Mike Oghiadomhe, Ima Niboro, Cairo Ojougboh in the coming months and many more that will come up. Synonyms for cabal are manipulating (manipulators), collude (colluders), conspire (conspirators) and scheme (schemers).
The next word is zoning. It would help for you to disregard the geography and regional planning definition of the word. Also, it has nothing to do with the time segmentation of the earth or the allocation of land. Zoning is a political term coined by the ruling PDP. It became popular in the run up to the election that brought Olusegun Obasanjo into power in 1999. The argument was that the acclaimed winner of the nullified June 12, 1993 election, Bashorun MKO Abiola, was from the South West of Nigeria; and since he was not allowed to take up his mandate before he died in prison, it was politically expedient to pacify that zone, region, geographical location by ‘enthroning’ one of his kinsmen. The pattern, which is enshrined in the constitution of the PDP and which is almost being peddled as if it is entrenched in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was what brought Yar’Adua and Jonathan to power in 2007. Please note that if PDP did not zone to the North, Goodluck Jonathan would not have been vice president and invariably president today. But is the largest party in Africa about to jettison or scrap that constitutional provision now that it seems that Goodluck may be interested in the presidency? Will Jonathan himself begin to plot with his own cabal to change the pattern? PDP seems to be boxed in now as they will have to contend with credibility issues when they begin to tinker their constitution again to achieve an arranged result. Synonyms for zoning are exclusion and elimination.
Governors’ Forum: Note that this noun is a political organisation. There are different factions of the Governors’ Forum like the Northern Governors Forum, the South South Governors Forum, the South West Governors Forum and of course, the PDP Governors Forum. It is not a political party but when its members are united, there is nothing they cannot achieve. For instance, it was reported in the press that the President was only able to choose a vice president, a governor from Kaduna State, after a meeting with the forum. Remember that Yar’Adua and Jonathan were members of that group when Lucky Igbinedion was the chairman. It will also do a world of good if you put this other fact at the back of your mind; that the governors played a major role in bringing the political impasse occasioned by the late president’s ill health to an ‘expedient resolution’. Synonyms for governors forum are power brokers, kingmakers and deal brokers.
Niger Delta: May I urge you to do away with the images of AK-47-wielding, grenade-launching and trigger-happy militants that have so much become the images that come to mind when the Niger Delta is mentioned in any conversation. It used to be that the images that the Niger Delta conjured in the past were that of environmental degradation, depravation, neglect and abject poverty amongst the people from whose community the oil that greases the wheel of development in other parts of the country, especially Abuja, is tapped. It seems to be convenient for some political players that militancy is drummed up as against the need to resolve the neglect that has been the case in the region forever. Goodluck Jonathan is from that region and a former governor of Bayelsa State, which is very active in the agitation for desired development of the people of the region. Now that one of their own is the Commander-in-chief, will they make it mandatory for the status quo to remain in order to ensure peace and speedy development? Will the ruling party use the current amnesty programme as a political tool? More than ever, the Niger Delta will play a major role in the coming election. Will the states that make up the region remain loyal to PDP? I get the feeling that if there is a candidate strong enough to sway the people into thinking that PDP has failed in most of the states in the region, PDP might lose some of them. Synonyms of Niger Delta are cash cow, neglect and troubled spot.
There are other words like, consensus, lobby, credible elections, electoral reforms and wait for this, IBB.
Published in Saturday Independent, 22 May, 2010: http://www.independentngonline.com/DailyIndependent/Article.aspx?id=13980
Sunday, May 16, 2010
My Name Is Goodluck, I Sleep With Patience
By Dafe Ivwurie
Few people are as lucky as Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. The only other person I can think of in modern political history, who has had the opportunity of a good fortune is Barack Obama. If Obama was the renegade that broke all the rules about American politics leading him to win the biggest prize in politics, then Jonathan is a study in how we can be predestined by our names, in fact, a study in what some Pentecostal preachers refer to a ‘sweat-less’ struggle in the attainment of your goals in life. I am not even sure that being president of the most populous black nation on earth was part of what Jonathan wanted in life.
The comparison between Jonathan and Obama probably stops at breaking a particular set of rules that makes the politics of both countries notorious and closely monitored around the world. While Barack Obama fought hard and long, with hundreds of speeches and town hall meetings to impress Americans, defeating political institutions in the process, Goodluck Jonathan can hardly be pinned down to any sociopolitical and economic ideology whether they be adopted, propounded or redefined by him.
Before becoming the president of Nigeria, he had in almost similar circumstance been the governor of Bayelsa State when Diepreye Alamieyeseigha was deposed because of allegations of corruption. He was a loyal deputy governor then, just as he was a loyal vice president to the late President Umaru Yar’Adua. When the late president became incapacitated, Jonathan patiently waited for the National Assembly to bend the rules on the altar of political expediency to provide a leeway for him to act as president after so much agitation by the civil society and eminent Nigerians. And now he is president because the president died. How lucky can a man get in a lifetime!
It has been said that President Goodluck Jonathan is a very patient man. I guess the only thing to be when you are Goodluck is be patient and watch your good fortunes unfold. On top of that, he went and married Patience for a wife. When you sleep with patience (pun intended here, please) it does not take long for you to eat the good of the land.
In time, Jonathan will find out that Nigerians are not as patient as he is. They cannot be patient with unemployment rising, the unsolved power problem, the apprehensions over credible elections, the security situation and a lot more.
Aspiring to and attaining the highest office in any country, especially Nigeria, should not be based on any sentiments – ethnic, religious and certainly not on any astrological permutation and dependence on the bad fortunes of others, it must be earned by presidential candidates espousing their core beliefs to the electorates. Jonathan has said he will continue with the Seven-point Agenda of his former boss. Three years into the presidency of Yar’Adua before his sad demise, it is difficult to hold on to any concrete achievement on any of the key performance indicators he set for himself.
I am particularly wary that very soon the President’s aides will begin to talk about how it is difficult to achieve anything in just one year and how Jonathan should be allowed to run in 2011. I do not think that anything other than the Peoples Democratic Party ,PDP, (because of their zoning policy) stops Jonathan from contesting the presidency. If he gets the PDP ticket then it will be a very interesting election to watch. It will be interesting because we will have an opportunity to grill him on a number of issues. Furthermore, if credible candidates come up, it will be quite intriguing to note how he fairs in a national debate. I am also sure that a lot of Nigerians will want to know how he would allow the PDP machinery to work for him or otherwise.
He runs the risk of being accused of getting to Aso Rock on the back of an incredible election just like the one supervised by Maurice Iwu and stage-managed by Olusegun Obasanjo, if he runs and wins. The best option is for the President to play the role of a statesman; lay down the framework for and deliver free, fair and credible elections that will usher in a government that will be respected by everyone including the international community.
Nigeria does not need and does not deserve a sick president. Neither does Nigeria deserve a president that emerges from some kind of political arrangement. I expect the political class to be more circumspect this time around and not allow anybody to have an overbearing influence on what affects our collective destiny.
The UK elections has just ended with Gordon Brown resigning as head of the Labour Party and invariably as prime minister, giving way for David Cameron, the leader of the opposition Conservatives, to form a government with Nick Clegg’s Liberal Democrats. The beauty of elections in the UK and America, especially, is the focus on the economy, internal security and foreign policy, not necessarily in that order. I hope that for once since the departure of the Awos, the Ziks and the Balewas, Nigerian politicians will take Nigeria seriously. We have been ruled for too long by sentiments and it has only gotten us this far.
By the way, does anybody know the names of Goodluck and Patience’s children? I hope they are not Longsuffering, Tolerance and Contentment? In any case, I’d rather Jubilee in this 50th year of Nigeria’s independence.
Few people are as lucky as Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. The only other person I can think of in modern political history, who has had the opportunity of a good fortune is Barack Obama. If Obama was the renegade that broke all the rules about American politics leading him to win the biggest prize in politics, then Jonathan is a study in how we can be predestined by our names, in fact, a study in what some Pentecostal preachers refer to a ‘sweat-less’ struggle in the attainment of your goals in life. I am not even sure that being president of the most populous black nation on earth was part of what Jonathan wanted in life.
The comparison between Jonathan and Obama probably stops at breaking a particular set of rules that makes the politics of both countries notorious and closely monitored around the world. While Barack Obama fought hard and long, with hundreds of speeches and town hall meetings to impress Americans, defeating political institutions in the process, Goodluck Jonathan can hardly be pinned down to any sociopolitical and economic ideology whether they be adopted, propounded or redefined by him.
Before becoming the president of Nigeria, he had in almost similar circumstance been the governor of Bayelsa State when Diepreye Alamieyeseigha was deposed because of allegations of corruption. He was a loyal deputy governor then, just as he was a loyal vice president to the late President Umaru Yar’Adua. When the late president became incapacitated, Jonathan patiently waited for the National Assembly to bend the rules on the altar of political expediency to provide a leeway for him to act as president after so much agitation by the civil society and eminent Nigerians. And now he is president because the president died. How lucky can a man get in a lifetime!
It has been said that President Goodluck Jonathan is a very patient man. I guess the only thing to be when you are Goodluck is be patient and watch your good fortunes unfold. On top of that, he went and married Patience for a wife. When you sleep with patience (pun intended here, please) it does not take long for you to eat the good of the land.
In time, Jonathan will find out that Nigerians are not as patient as he is. They cannot be patient with unemployment rising, the unsolved power problem, the apprehensions over credible elections, the security situation and a lot more.
Aspiring to and attaining the highest office in any country, especially Nigeria, should not be based on any sentiments – ethnic, religious and certainly not on any astrological permutation and dependence on the bad fortunes of others, it must be earned by presidential candidates espousing their core beliefs to the electorates. Jonathan has said he will continue with the Seven-point Agenda of his former boss. Three years into the presidency of Yar’Adua before his sad demise, it is difficult to hold on to any concrete achievement on any of the key performance indicators he set for himself.
I am particularly wary that very soon the President’s aides will begin to talk about how it is difficult to achieve anything in just one year and how Jonathan should be allowed to run in 2011. I do not think that anything other than the Peoples Democratic Party ,PDP, (because of their zoning policy) stops Jonathan from contesting the presidency. If he gets the PDP ticket then it will be a very interesting election to watch. It will be interesting because we will have an opportunity to grill him on a number of issues. Furthermore, if credible candidates come up, it will be quite intriguing to note how he fairs in a national debate. I am also sure that a lot of Nigerians will want to know how he would allow the PDP machinery to work for him or otherwise.
He runs the risk of being accused of getting to Aso Rock on the back of an incredible election just like the one supervised by Maurice Iwu and stage-managed by Olusegun Obasanjo, if he runs and wins. The best option is for the President to play the role of a statesman; lay down the framework for and deliver free, fair and credible elections that will usher in a government that will be respected by everyone including the international community.
Nigeria does not need and does not deserve a sick president. Neither does Nigeria deserve a president that emerges from some kind of political arrangement. I expect the political class to be more circumspect this time around and not allow anybody to have an overbearing influence on what affects our collective destiny.
The UK elections has just ended with Gordon Brown resigning as head of the Labour Party and invariably as prime minister, giving way for David Cameron, the leader of the opposition Conservatives, to form a government with Nick Clegg’s Liberal Democrats. The beauty of elections in the UK and America, especially, is the focus on the economy, internal security and foreign policy, not necessarily in that order. I hope that for once since the departure of the Awos, the Ziks and the Balewas, Nigerian politicians will take Nigeria seriously. We have been ruled for too long by sentiments and it has only gotten us this far.
By the way, does anybody know the names of Goodluck and Patience’s children? I hope they are not Longsuffering, Tolerance and Contentment? In any case, I’d rather Jubilee in this 50th year of Nigeria’s independence.
Understanding Naija Hip Hop
By Dafe Ivwurie
The word ‘swagga’ or ‘swagger’ or ‘swag’ as the case may be is perhaps the most used word in Nigerian hip hop lingo in the last one year and it is a noun that simply means “a very high degree of belief in one's own abilities” or “extreme self-confidence”. Your swag can be seen in the way you dress, the way you speak and the way you generally carry yourself. So when you hear KC Presh and Terry G say “ginger your swagga”, it only means boost your self confidence or believe in your self.
Hip hop is unarguably the most listened to genre of music in Nigeria today. That is simply because this is what Nigerian radio and television stations play, with the exception of those set up to take care of more eclectic and classic taste. The newspapers, glossy magazines and the soft sells (some of which you might prefer to call junk and I wonder why) celebrate them. They are identified by their whole get up; the bling (which Lagbaja refers to as panda (imitation) in one of his albums) the raunchy video with ill clad girls, the oversized sagging pants and shirts and of course, the general joie de vivre around them: hip hop in Nigeria and pretty much anywhere else the music enjoys patronage is all about the good life. It celebrates Moet, Hennessy and Bacardi in the company of starry eyed giggly girls.
But it is not the exuberant and flamboyant lifestyles that fascinate me, rather it is the language as you may have noticed from the intro of this piece. One thing that delights me from the trend in the genre is the code-switching; the switching from the English to Nigerian languages. Nigerian languages have become a major part of the hip hop textual content; hence you hear artiste switching between the English language and Yoruba or Igbo (the two languages that enjoy prominence) Hausa and Pidgin English. For me, two artistes epitomize the trend and they are not necessarily the most popular: they are 9ice and the rapper known as That Nigga Raw. The former with Yoruba and the latter with Igbo. They are good examples of the fact that you can understand your language very deeply, sing in it and still sound hip. The fact is arguable, though, that no other artiste brought hip hop to the fore of popular culture like Ruggedman when he released ‘ehen’, the Pidgin English rap song that ‘dissed’ those that hip hoppers call ‘wack MCs’. The lyrics were very clear and appealed to the masses. A lot of rappers took a cue from the delivery and style that finally broke all barriers. The hip hop stage opened up and we stopped seeing rappers as just some bunch of kids throwing tantrums on stage.
However, much as I love what we all refer to as Naija Hip Hop, I am a bit worried about lyrical content. When I was growing up the word choco or choko meant either chocolate or any chocolate drink. It is interesting how words take on new meaning. Can someone please tell Sean Tero that his choko is dangerous to his health? But I love that song:
pass me the choko, choko/
I gbadun the choko, choko/
I choko the choko, choko/
anywhere wey you see me make you pass me the choko.
I am sure a lot of you like the song, too, but when your daughter or son walks up to you and asks “daddy what is the meaning of choko?” please be honest to tell her or him that choko means marijuana or Kaya according to Bob Marley, Mary Jane according to Wyclef Jean or Kpoli according to Tuface Idibia or cannabis or ganja, according to my idren in Jamaica. Do you still want the choko?
I used to think that the expression or acclamation, Hallelujah, belonged in the church until I heard this song by Terry G in the club:
Everybody shout hallelujah, hallelujah
Maga don pay, hallelujah
Everybody shout hallelujah, hallelujah
Mugu don pay, hallelujah.
Our focus is on the words maga and mugu. I have known the word mugu since I was probably 6 as a word that described someone that is daft. Maga, I want to believe, is a recent coinage, a mutation of the word mugu which means the same thing. But because we know that words can be ambiguous and can have sociological connotation, it will interest you to know that a maga is someone who falls prey to a scam, especially the Nigerian type called 419. Now, scamming or gbajue as the Yoruba would refer to it has been around for a long time. However, there was a new dimension added to it when the internet came into existence and Nigeria became synonymous with this special brand of electronic scamming. Those who engage in it are referred to as ‘yahoo boys’. I do not suppose that these were the guys Olu Maintain was glorifying in his song ‘Yahozee’ which became an anthem with its own dance moves in Nigeria almost three years ago. But I suspect that only people who make money from ‘yahooing’ others would engage in the kind of ‘lau lau’ spending that Olu Maintain and Eldee sang about in ‘Yahoozee’ and ‘Big Boy’. Good music not doubt, at least it got Collin Powell dancing in London the other day.
The notion that Nigerian music can be better than the celebration of wine, women and revelry that is today is debatable. Musicians pick their materials from the prevalent situation in the country, the continent or on the global stage. Gone are the days of ‘Fire in Soweto’ and ‘Papa’s Land’ by Sony Okosuns; South Africa is free now. Gone are the days of ‘International Thief Thief’ and Unknown Soldiers by Fela; Nigeria is democratic state. Interestingly, while Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and Sony Okosuns were busy sharpening their lyrical dexterity against Apartheid regime in South Africa and Corruption in Nigeria, some Nigerian musicians were busy feeding the party life. Musicians are free to choose their materials and sing about anything under the sun, what I worry about is do they worry about posterity?
Popular music in whatever form – afrobeat, reggae, fuji, juju, hip hop to name a few - belongs to the street and from the street it must derive its language if it must stay relevant to its patrons. As classic as ‘Sexual Healing’ by Marvin Gaye may sounds, I think it is a bit too heavy for the ears and so does ‘I wanna sex you up’ by Colour Me Bad and the expression ‘je ka sere omo’ or ‘ka gbetan le tan’.
Some contemporary Nigerian artistes are actually getting innovative; ever heard the expression minimini wanawana or shokishombolo? They actually mean the same thing that the previous words conjure in your mind.
The word ‘swagga’ or ‘swagger’ or ‘swag’ as the case may be is perhaps the most used word in Nigerian hip hop lingo in the last one year and it is a noun that simply means “a very high degree of belief in one's own abilities” or “extreme self-confidence”. Your swag can be seen in the way you dress, the way you speak and the way you generally carry yourself. So when you hear KC Presh and Terry G say “ginger your swagga”, it only means boost your self confidence or believe in your self.
Hip hop is unarguably the most listened to genre of music in Nigeria today. That is simply because this is what Nigerian radio and television stations play, with the exception of those set up to take care of more eclectic and classic taste. The newspapers, glossy magazines and the soft sells (some of which you might prefer to call junk and I wonder why) celebrate them. They are identified by their whole get up; the bling (which Lagbaja refers to as panda (imitation) in one of his albums) the raunchy video with ill clad girls, the oversized sagging pants and shirts and of course, the general joie de vivre around them: hip hop in Nigeria and pretty much anywhere else the music enjoys patronage is all about the good life. It celebrates Moet, Hennessy and Bacardi in the company of starry eyed giggly girls.
But it is not the exuberant and flamboyant lifestyles that fascinate me, rather it is the language as you may have noticed from the intro of this piece. One thing that delights me from the trend in the genre is the code-switching; the switching from the English to Nigerian languages. Nigerian languages have become a major part of the hip hop textual content; hence you hear artiste switching between the English language and Yoruba or Igbo (the two languages that enjoy prominence) Hausa and Pidgin English. For me, two artistes epitomize the trend and they are not necessarily the most popular: they are 9ice and the rapper known as That Nigga Raw. The former with Yoruba and the latter with Igbo. They are good examples of the fact that you can understand your language very deeply, sing in it and still sound hip. The fact is arguable, though, that no other artiste brought hip hop to the fore of popular culture like Ruggedman when he released ‘ehen’, the Pidgin English rap song that ‘dissed’ those that hip hoppers call ‘wack MCs’. The lyrics were very clear and appealed to the masses. A lot of rappers took a cue from the delivery and style that finally broke all barriers. The hip hop stage opened up and we stopped seeing rappers as just some bunch of kids throwing tantrums on stage.
However, much as I love what we all refer to as Naija Hip Hop, I am a bit worried about lyrical content. When I was growing up the word choco or choko meant either chocolate or any chocolate drink. It is interesting how words take on new meaning. Can someone please tell Sean Tero that his choko is dangerous to his health? But I love that song:
pass me the choko, choko/
I gbadun the choko, choko/
I choko the choko, choko/
anywhere wey you see me make you pass me the choko.
I am sure a lot of you like the song, too, but when your daughter or son walks up to you and asks “daddy what is the meaning of choko?” please be honest to tell her or him that choko means marijuana or Kaya according to Bob Marley, Mary Jane according to Wyclef Jean or Kpoli according to Tuface Idibia or cannabis or ganja, according to my idren in Jamaica. Do you still want the choko?
I used to think that the expression or acclamation, Hallelujah, belonged in the church until I heard this song by Terry G in the club:
Everybody shout hallelujah, hallelujah
Maga don pay, hallelujah
Everybody shout hallelujah, hallelujah
Mugu don pay, hallelujah.
Our focus is on the words maga and mugu. I have known the word mugu since I was probably 6 as a word that described someone that is daft. Maga, I want to believe, is a recent coinage, a mutation of the word mugu which means the same thing. But because we know that words can be ambiguous and can have sociological connotation, it will interest you to know that a maga is someone who falls prey to a scam, especially the Nigerian type called 419. Now, scamming or gbajue as the Yoruba would refer to it has been around for a long time. However, there was a new dimension added to it when the internet came into existence and Nigeria became synonymous with this special brand of electronic scamming. Those who engage in it are referred to as ‘yahoo boys’. I do not suppose that these were the guys Olu Maintain was glorifying in his song ‘Yahozee’ which became an anthem with its own dance moves in Nigeria almost three years ago. But I suspect that only people who make money from ‘yahooing’ others would engage in the kind of ‘lau lau’ spending that Olu Maintain and Eldee sang about in ‘Yahoozee’ and ‘Big Boy’. Good music not doubt, at least it got Collin Powell dancing in London the other day.
The notion that Nigerian music can be better than the celebration of wine, women and revelry that is today is debatable. Musicians pick their materials from the prevalent situation in the country, the continent or on the global stage. Gone are the days of ‘Fire in Soweto’ and ‘Papa’s Land’ by Sony Okosuns; South Africa is free now. Gone are the days of ‘International Thief Thief’ and Unknown Soldiers by Fela; Nigeria is democratic state. Interestingly, while Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and Sony Okosuns were busy sharpening their lyrical dexterity against Apartheid regime in South Africa and Corruption in Nigeria, some Nigerian musicians were busy feeding the party life. Musicians are free to choose their materials and sing about anything under the sun, what I worry about is do they worry about posterity?
Popular music in whatever form – afrobeat, reggae, fuji, juju, hip hop to name a few - belongs to the street and from the street it must derive its language if it must stay relevant to its patrons. As classic as ‘Sexual Healing’ by Marvin Gaye may sounds, I think it is a bit too heavy for the ears and so does ‘I wanna sex you up’ by Colour Me Bad and the expression ‘je ka sere omo’ or ‘ka gbetan le tan’.
Some contemporary Nigerian artistes are actually getting innovative; ever heard the expression minimini wanawana or shokishombolo? They actually mean the same thing that the previous words conjure in your mind.
Of Sound, The Spoken Word, Technology and Nigerian Politics
By Dafe Ivwurie
“Of sound, the spoken word and technology; it should not be long before audio/visual recordings become untenable as evidence. Cleverly manipulated and placed in a different context, your utterances would acquire new meaning.”
The above quote was taken from Lagbaja’s tribute – a collection of four songs to Fela – the most controversial and most revered activist-musician that has ever come out of Nigeria. Two of the songs in the album titled Abami used Fela’s voice profusely in a prearranged sequence that gave the impression that Lagbaja had sat with the late creator of Afrobeat music in the studio to have an actual conversation. The songs are ‘Vernacular’ and ‘Put Am Well Well’.
About the songs Lagbaja himself had written: “A few questions may arise in your mind. When and where did this conversation take place? Did it even take place at all? Were the sentences uttered in the context in which you hear them now? Were those the exact words and sounds uttered in that exact order and context? In fact, did Fela utter some of these words and sounds? Whatever your self-inflicted answers, remember not to believe everything you see on television. Neither should you believe all that you hear…”
Although this is not a music review, it is apropos to opine that the Abami (A Tribute to Fela) album is the best, most radical and most creative musical tribute that has ever been paid to Fela since his demise. Lagbaja, the masked musician has MEE Mofe Damijo, of very blessed memory, to thank for the materials he used for the songs. MEE had conducted one of the most comprehensive and in-depth interviews with Fela. It was a most creative and clever manipulation of the spoken word by Lagbaja to create a different context than it was originally intended.
Guess who is manipulating contexts again. Tiger Woods. Well, not exactly. On the eve of returning to competitive golf after a five-month, self-imposed hiatus, NIKE, one of the sponsors who have stood by him through the sex scandal that stunned the world, released a commercial that got the world talking again. I think it is germane to see the original context of the recorded voice, which I have managed to transcribe. It is from a Tiger Woods DVD documentary released in 2004. In what I suppose is an answer to the question on whose character traits between his father and mother he possesses, Tiger had said:
“I am a mixture of both, ‘cos when I play, I can see both of them in me. I am pretty fiery but at times I am calm.”
Earl’s response, in the documentary, to Tiger’s comments was:
“… yea. Tilda (Tiger’s mother) is very authoritative and very definitive, so yes and no. I am more prone to be inquisitive, to promote discussion. I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are. And did you learn anything? So, we (Earl and Tilda) are two different types, but we co-existed very well.”
In the advert, some parts of the above comments were expunged or discarded or jettisoned to create a different mood and context of Earl Woods speaking to (scolding, admonishing, counselling) a somber looking, stoned face Tiger in an apt atmosphere of pin-drop silence as Tiger could only manage to blink two or three times in the 30 seconds clip with these words: “(Tiger), I am more prone to be inquisitive, to promote discussion. I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are. And did you learn anything?” In the original recording, Earl was not speaking to Tiger but in the NIKE ad, Earl was speaking directly to tiger.
We will never agree on whether the ad is good or bad (and I have actually heard some people say it is eerie and creepy) but we would all agree that it achieves one major thing; it’s got people talking.
The veracity or authenticity of Earl’s voice and words and Fela’s voice and words in the two examples of contextual meanings are not in doubt. But we must look at another example; the Yar’Adua/BBC ‘interview’. I, in particular, did not hear the original broadcast on BBC Hausa service, but I heard a voice that the BBC (British Broadcasting Service) say is the voice of our ailing President, Umaru Yar’Adua, posted on their website. Who are we to doubt? The voice sounded sick and tired when it (the voice) said:
“At the moment I am undergoing treatment, and I’m getting better from the treatment. I hope that very soon there will be tremendous progress, which will allow me to get back home. I wish, at this stage, to thank all Nigerians for their prayers for my good health, and for their prayers for the nation.
“As soon as my doctors discharge me, I will return to Nigeria to resume my duties. I would also like to wish our team, the Super Eagles, success in our Nation’s Cup matches in Angola.”
The question that comes after hearing the voice requires a yes or no answer. If you heard the voice, was that Umaru Yar’Adua’s voice? We would remain divided on this when we look at it from different perspectives. The nagging questions are: Why BBC? Why BBC Hausa Service and not BBC World Service? Why not Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria? Why not Voice of Nigeria? Perhaps, nobody puts it more in context than the National Assembly that admitted that interview, indeed, the voice in evidence, in the case of Yar’Adua and the Presidency Vs Jonathan and the Nigerian people. The honourable men of the Assembly unanimously agreed that the voice was that of the President and was tenable in evidence. It is based on this that Goodluck Jonathan is able to act as president. Thank God for the voice. But let us suppose for one minute that it is discovered that the whole Yar’Adua/BBC thing was a ruse, would Jonathan’s acting presidency be illegal?
The President has since returned as he predicted, albeit like a thief in the night and we have yet to sight him anywhere, except in rumours that he sometimes receives fresh air by being driven around in Abuja and of course by Muslim and Christian clergies, who were invited to pray for him. Note that none of the clergies admitted that they heard his voice clearly, only gestures, grunts and moving lips. Men of God don’t lie, whatever the context.
By the way, does anybody know where the video tapes of a certain coup in 1995 that implicated many military leaders are being kept?
“Of sound, the spoken word and technology; it should not be long before audio/visual recordings become untenable as evidence. Cleverly manipulated and placed in a different context, your utterances would acquire new meaning.”
The above quote was taken from Lagbaja’s tribute – a collection of four songs to Fela – the most controversial and most revered activist-musician that has ever come out of Nigeria. Two of the songs in the album titled Abami used Fela’s voice profusely in a prearranged sequence that gave the impression that Lagbaja had sat with the late creator of Afrobeat music in the studio to have an actual conversation. The songs are ‘Vernacular’ and ‘Put Am Well Well’.
About the songs Lagbaja himself had written: “A few questions may arise in your mind. When and where did this conversation take place? Did it even take place at all? Were the sentences uttered in the context in which you hear them now? Were those the exact words and sounds uttered in that exact order and context? In fact, did Fela utter some of these words and sounds? Whatever your self-inflicted answers, remember not to believe everything you see on television. Neither should you believe all that you hear…”
Although this is not a music review, it is apropos to opine that the Abami (A Tribute to Fela) album is the best, most radical and most creative musical tribute that has ever been paid to Fela since his demise. Lagbaja, the masked musician has MEE Mofe Damijo, of very blessed memory, to thank for the materials he used for the songs. MEE had conducted one of the most comprehensive and in-depth interviews with Fela. It was a most creative and clever manipulation of the spoken word by Lagbaja to create a different context than it was originally intended.
Guess who is manipulating contexts again. Tiger Woods. Well, not exactly. On the eve of returning to competitive golf after a five-month, self-imposed hiatus, NIKE, one of the sponsors who have stood by him through the sex scandal that stunned the world, released a commercial that got the world talking again. I think it is germane to see the original context of the recorded voice, which I have managed to transcribe. It is from a Tiger Woods DVD documentary released in 2004. In what I suppose is an answer to the question on whose character traits between his father and mother he possesses, Tiger had said:
“I am a mixture of both, ‘cos when I play, I can see both of them in me. I am pretty fiery but at times I am calm.”
Earl’s response, in the documentary, to Tiger’s comments was:
“… yea. Tilda (Tiger’s mother) is very authoritative and very definitive, so yes and no. I am more prone to be inquisitive, to promote discussion. I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are. And did you learn anything? So, we (Earl and Tilda) are two different types, but we co-existed very well.”
In the advert, some parts of the above comments were expunged or discarded or jettisoned to create a different mood and context of Earl Woods speaking to (scolding, admonishing, counselling) a somber looking, stoned face Tiger in an apt atmosphere of pin-drop silence as Tiger could only manage to blink two or three times in the 30 seconds clip with these words: “(Tiger), I am more prone to be inquisitive, to promote discussion. I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are. And did you learn anything?” In the original recording, Earl was not speaking to Tiger but in the NIKE ad, Earl was speaking directly to tiger.
We will never agree on whether the ad is good or bad (and I have actually heard some people say it is eerie and creepy) but we would all agree that it achieves one major thing; it’s got people talking.
The veracity or authenticity of Earl’s voice and words and Fela’s voice and words in the two examples of contextual meanings are not in doubt. But we must look at another example; the Yar’Adua/BBC ‘interview’. I, in particular, did not hear the original broadcast on BBC Hausa service, but I heard a voice that the BBC (British Broadcasting Service) say is the voice of our ailing President, Umaru Yar’Adua, posted on their website. Who are we to doubt? The voice sounded sick and tired when it (the voice) said:
“At the moment I am undergoing treatment, and I’m getting better from the treatment. I hope that very soon there will be tremendous progress, which will allow me to get back home. I wish, at this stage, to thank all Nigerians for their prayers for my good health, and for their prayers for the nation.
“As soon as my doctors discharge me, I will return to Nigeria to resume my duties. I would also like to wish our team, the Super Eagles, success in our Nation’s Cup matches in Angola.”
The question that comes after hearing the voice requires a yes or no answer. If you heard the voice, was that Umaru Yar’Adua’s voice? We would remain divided on this when we look at it from different perspectives. The nagging questions are: Why BBC? Why BBC Hausa Service and not BBC World Service? Why not Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria? Why not Voice of Nigeria? Perhaps, nobody puts it more in context than the National Assembly that admitted that interview, indeed, the voice in evidence, in the case of Yar’Adua and the Presidency Vs Jonathan and the Nigerian people. The honourable men of the Assembly unanimously agreed that the voice was that of the President and was tenable in evidence. It is based on this that Goodluck Jonathan is able to act as president. Thank God for the voice. But let us suppose for one minute that it is discovered that the whole Yar’Adua/BBC thing was a ruse, would Jonathan’s acting presidency be illegal?
The President has since returned as he predicted, albeit like a thief in the night and we have yet to sight him anywhere, except in rumours that he sometimes receives fresh air by being driven around in Abuja and of course by Muslim and Christian clergies, who were invited to pray for him. Note that none of the clergies admitted that they heard his voice clearly, only gestures, grunts and moving lips. Men of God don’t lie, whatever the context.
By the way, does anybody know where the video tapes of a certain coup in 1995 that implicated many military leaders are being kept?
Saturday, July 25, 2009
The Nigerian music debate: setting an agenda for today’s stars
Let me say straight away that I am not a big fan of rap, which can be described as the precursor of hip hop in the sense that ragtag was of jazz or in the sense that brass bands formed the basis for highlife before it became a Nigerian or Ghanaian or West Coast phenomenon.
However, having spent years in the university to study the sound, rhythm, motifs, melodies, of different genres of music and the culture that gave rise to them, I am the last to seriously condemn any type of music. I choose what I listen to and trust me I listen to all sorts except rock and roll in whatever form it comes. Hip hop or rap draws my attention sometimes because I love words and poetry and rhymes and meaning (surface or underlying). So you might catch me listening to Tupac (I think he was a philosopher). I also do ‘Yahoozee’ and ‘Bumper to Bumper’ (in the club).
My interest in rap, invariably hip hop music, was kindled by two of my friends – Sam Umukoro, whom I thought had more than a passive interest as he would go on and on with the lyrics of ‘Dear mama’ and ‘California’ by Tupac. He would also go on and on about the sense other lyricist were making in their music. The other person was Recky D. His real name is Ogechi Agomo and up till today I still find it curious why he would choose the former over the latter as his stage name. Ogechi, as I always choose to call him, is a lyricist with a mission and a message. It was always a delight to hear him lay life changing words on the sound track of Lionel Richie’s ‘Easy’. That was how my curious interest in the phenomenon called hip hop started.
Two of the most devastating things to have happened to Africa are slave trade and colonialism. Africa has never remained the same since the last of the colonialists left her shores and independence became an accepted political term. America and other nations with slave history are still buckling under the heavy burden of tampering with the natural course of human existence.
But let me assure you that I am completely apolitical and return to the music. Culture, which includes knowledge, belief, morals, laws, customs, or any other capabilities and habits acquired by humans as members of society (including music) is the first thing that suffers the most devastating blow when cultures clash. Those who are students of history know enough stories of how African culture was dominated and brought under subjection by the colonial masters in the name of religion and a ‘better way of living’; everything colonial became mainstream and everything African became second place at best.
How we got out of colonialism (as a system of governance) is better told by the Ajayi Crowthers, the Herbert Macaulys, the Alaja Browns, the Awolowos, and the Azikiwes of this world. But decades after the struggle we are still tied to the apron strings of the west and America in what is now known as neo-colonialism, a term that refers to the political and economic domination of underdeveloped countries by their former colonial masters. I am of the opinion that neo-colonialism is even much stronger in its ramifications because of globalisation where the world has become a global village still dominated by the stronger nations especially America.
The black man in America had to find a way of expression. They did it in Negro spirituals, the gospels, jazz, blues, rap and hip hop. They did it to break away from domination. They did it to assert their nationhood in a community that would concede nothing them.
Today, hip hop is alive and strong all over the world including Nigeria because of their creativity, ingenuity, resourcefulness and relentless spirit. One thing you can not take away from hip hop is its African origin of oral poetry, audience participation and its syncopated percussive nature. But hip hop is not just music; it’s a culture, a movement, a people’s way of life. Which people? The African American.
I am curious to know if the African American ethos and pathos are still completely aligned and in consonance with present day African realities.
Pardon me if I seem to stray every once in a while to distant subjects. But let us return to the music. Jazz is an (African) American music with universal acceptance. So are blues, soul and hip hop. So when you work into a music shop in New York, London, Shanghai, Dubai and Lagos, you would most likely find records or CDs in these genres properly categorised and segmented. Same goes for classical music (even if they may be subdivided in to western and oriental) and country music.
I will pose a question here: where do record stores abroad place hip hop music from Nigeria? Certainly not under the American version of hip hop. You may wish to look for your 9ice, D’Banj, Wande Coal, Paul ‘Play’ Dairo, Eedris Abdulkarim, Ruggedman, Modenine, Tony Tetuila, Sasha and MI in the ‘others’ or at best African Contemporary music shelf.
The biggest musicians to have come out of Africa in the mould of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Papa Wemba, Oliver Mtukudzi, Thomas Mapfumo, Angelique Kidjo, Manu Dibango, Baaba Mal, Salif Keita, Ebenezer Obey, Sunny Ade, Oliver De Coque, Haruna Ishola, Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, Kofi Olomide, Awilo, E.T. Mensah to mention a few, had definitive sounds but could only make it as far as the ‘world music’ shelf. But they were afrobeat, juju, fuji, highlife, soukous, makosa musicians.
Afrobeat is still largely dominated by the immediate family of Fela, especially his two sons – Femi Kuti and Seun Kuti and a hand full of those who backed him up as instrumentalists in the Egypt 80 band. Makosa and soukous were the rave only in the 90s even though it still remains a strong force in Francophone countries. The biggest name in juju music till date is still Sunny Ade after Ebenezer Obey became a preacher. You might decide to add Yinka Aiyefele who plays juju music with a ‘gospel’ slant. Highlife as simply remained with those who produced what we refer to today as evergreen. It is said that Sunny Neji plays highlife. That is debateable.
Lagbaja, of whom I am a very big fan, was bold to christen his music Africano about five years ago. Although he is the most creative and research-oriented artist that I know in Nigeria at the moment, his music still borders on experimentation. It remains to be seen if future generations will carry on with what he has started.
American culture through Mtv and the internet may have influenced this present generation of hip hop artistes, I think the Nigerian government through the different culture and broadcasting agencies are accomplices and have collaborated with the west to erode our musical and cultural heritage. So instead of consolidating, our musicians are simply deviating and propagating foreign musical cultures.
It is heartbreaking that they do not realise they are, indeed, the most privileged generation ever, with the technology available to them. They do not see an opportunity for cultural renaissance beyond the bling, sagging pants and effeminate fashion. What a time to break away from all the things that so easily hold us down and assert our African musical heritage! It is heart-wrenching that when nations are busy pushing their ideals and ideologies forward on the global platform we are busy soaking-in what they have on offer without giving back anything indigenous and tangible in exchange.
Some people say our artistes now win Mtv Base awards. Fair enough, but awards are subjective most times. In any case, that medium is still looked upon as a medium of cultural subjugation. Ask why MI, Ruggedman, Modenine, 9ice, Dbanj or Lord of Ajasa can not be ranked and judged in the same category with NAS, Jay Z, Akon, 50 Cent or Eminem.
No musician whether popular, classical or traditional lives forever. But their works live long after the have passed on. The other reality also is that some musicians make more lasting and enduring impression than other with their music. I think of Handel, Fela, Bob Marley, Michael Jackson and many more in other genres in all the cultures of the world.
With everything that is available to them to etch their names boldly and gloriously in the hearts of men and women too, most musicians in this present generation have short-changed themselves by being just about Hennessey, Moet, Bacardi, Bentley, Hummer and chicks. It is not all about the money.
Before the eloquent ones amongst you pick up your pen or start pounding the keys of your computer to write a blog, think about this: when you stand with your contemporaries around the world, what kind of music do you tell them you perform?
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Asa: The Subtle Message of a Rejected Voice
If you get rejected in your church choir, you almost certainly (operating word being almost) wouldn’t make it as a singer.
But Asa, the soulful songbird from Nigeria, broke that rule to our collective delight and to the dismay of the church. Don’t get me wrong, I strongly believe that the church is the best place for voices, session musicians and music careers to be nurtured. It is still the best place to discover musicians (singers, songwriters and instrumentalists) in a country where our music ‘stars’ are at best mimes.
According to Asa “People didn’t understand my low-pitched deep voice, the choirs didn’t want anything to do with me. I had to get to church first (early) if I was to have any chance of getting near the mike!”
I understand very well Asa’s frustrations, if we may call it that, having been in and directed the choir myself for a while. In the church, your voice had to ‘ring’; it had to be able to make the worst sinner work down the aisle to the front of the pulpit to accept Jesus. Plus you had to cut the image of a ‘sister’; the bible-clutching one with an air piety. Unfortunately, our Asa spots dreads, is a tomboy and worst still, has a voice texture that does not sound like her gender.
So she was rejected. But the rejected voice has become a precious gem, again to our collective delight.
We all waited with baited breath when they told us that Asa had gone to France, her birth place, to start mixing her musical broth. I, in particular, wanted to know what she will sound like – home girl or western. Luckily the French didn’t quite tamper with her – her voice, her nuances, her language and her message.
I was not expecting her voice to give me the chills like Yinka Davies’ (don’t even attempt a comparison). But it did in a ‘be careful’ kind of way; not one to hit the high note, she flirts with it, dancing around it then moves past it intelligently and keeps your ears on her message, which to me may well be the defining factor of her music and career.
Where are the messengers?
With her self titled debut, Asa seems to answer that question “we are coming out from the trenches and you better sit up and take notice”.
Oh how she speaks to all of us – the government, the rebel soldier, the father, the media like the voice of one crying in the wilderness singing “there is fire on the mountain and nobody seems to be on the run…” she speaks to the soldier “fighting for another man’s course” and doesn’t even know it.
The subject of war is so apt and relevant in the political clime of Africa. It is one that African writers have devoted their pen to recently from Biyi Bamidele’s Burna Boy to Allah is not obliged by Ahmadou Kourouma and Helon Habila’s Measuring Time. Hollywood also has its own offerings on the theme with movies like Blood Diamond, Hotel Rwanda and Sometimes in April. Asa lends her voice to this subject in such a sing-along way, that even when we decide not to read or when the make-believe effect of the big screen fades from our memories, we can still sing the song to ourselves in our cars, our homes, our offices and everywhere in the city.
Time was when the African safari was the jungle of grass cutters, antelopes, elephants and lions; when men wore their medals of elephant tusk and lion’s mane proudly for their bravery. Today, the African field is replete with fratricidal killings; brothers killing brothers for diamond, oil, indeed, for what should be a commonwealth and even sometimes for no reason at all.
“What did he say to make you so blind to you conscience and reason? Could it be love for your country or for the gun you use in killing”?
She also speaks of how the whole world has become morbid:
"I wake up in the morning
Tell you what I see on my TV screen
I see the blood of an innocent child and everyone is watching…"
… then we blame the children for not reading. But “whose responsible for what we teach our children, is it the internet or the stars on television”.
In Jailer she has a message for you:
“If you walk in a market place don’t throw stones
Even if you do, you just might hit one of your own
Life is not about your policies all the time
So you better rearrange your philosophies and be good to your fellow man…”
Although she might not stand a chance on the church’s stage, but she has her own stage now. She also has her own message, which is not very different from the original message of the church; “love thy neighbour as thyself” and she packages the message with such soul and candor that you think she took direct lessons from Bob Marley.
Asa is a refreshing departure from the dance hall, party anthem, almost pedestrian and commercialism that is currently associated with Nigerian music. She may currently be an opening act for the likes of Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Manu Dibango and Co; she is however, subtly but surely carving a niche for herself in the mould of Bob Marley, Fela Kuti, Oliver Mtukuzi and Lucky Dube.
I hope her next album proves us right.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Hip Hop: The Nigerian Definition
I am an avid follower of music; music generally, Nigerian music in particular.
The reason I turn to music is that it provides a way of escape for me. Escape from the everyday madness that is Lagos – the traffic, the heat, the lightlessness, the rat race, office pressure, and the general swinging moods of the city arcane to that of a pregnant woman.So I escape to music to get my sanity, to set my spirit free, to put my thoughts in order.
Music is the way I get my kick. That is why I agree with Shakespeare that “the man that has no music in himself nor is not moved by the concord of sweet sounds is fit for treason, stratagems and spoils”.
I listen to everything under the sun from Apala to Zouk and everything in between, except Heavy Metal, which I think is utter noise and too culturally non-conformist.
At the moment my focus has been on the Nigerian music scene, which has become very vibrant in the last ten years. The focus actually is on those that label themselves Hip Hop heads. The truth is that Hip Hop is running the street and nobody puts it more succinctly than the enfant terrible of the Nigerian music scene, Rugged Man, when he said in his too-hot-to-drop hit ‘Ruggedy Baba’, “back then the world only knew juju, fuji, (highlife) and afrobeat, but now I cleared the whole area and hip hop is rocking the streets”. True.
What gladdens my heart, though, is not the fact that hip hop has taken over the airwaves. It is the way Nigerian artistes have injected a refreshing local flavour to this musical culture that makes everybody want to listen. When Rugged Man dropped ‘Ehen’ and ‘Big Bros’, where he dissed fellow Nigerian artiste, Eedrees Abdukareem and his benefactor, Kenny Ogungbe, that put all other artistes in check or practically sent them back to the studio.
A strong advocate of using your mother tongue to transmit your message, Rugged Man showed the example by inviting the current rave of the Nigerian music scene, 9ice for a collabo (the slang for collaboration coined by practitioners in the industry) in the song “Ruggedy Baba”. That song brought 9ice to national consciousness. I remember calling Rugged Man to ask him where he fished him out from.All of a sudden, 9ice is on everybody’s lips, I mean the song “Gongo Aso”. Even my colleague from Sao Tome, Airamindra Torres, could not get enough of it in spite of the fact that she could not understand a word of what the light skin artiste was saying.
9ice’s appearance on the scene has brought a number of issues to the fore; first is the need to get Nigerian languages to the younger generation and I’m not talking about the everyday Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa and Urhobo that we speak. We need to hear more of our languages on the radio and television.
One veritable way to do this is what 9ice is doing with his brand of hip hop that is laced with strong Yoruba proverbs. Chinua Achebe had said in one of his books that “proverbs are the palmoil with which words are eaten”.Second is the need to do things in a new way. I will stick to music.
Time was when only what was allowed in the church was one-part singing, and then the revolution of SATB (Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass) came, giving room to more melodious harmonies of voices. One of classical music major revolution came from Ludwig Van Beethoven with his 9th symphony. Symphonies were not supposed to have voices, but Beethoven shocked the world when he introduced voices (solo and chorus) to the 9th symphony and called it “Ode to Joy”, actually a poem by Friedrich Schiller, in the last movement. It is the first example of a major composer using the human voice on the same level with instruments in a symphony, creating a work of a grand scope that set the tone for the Romantic symphonic form.
There are countless examples of musical trail blazers; Scot Joplin, who created Ragtime, the precursor of Jazz; Bob Marley, whose lyrics and bass line (instead of his mien, dreads and ganja) made Reggae a mainstream genre of music. In Nigeria we had the irripressible Fela, who took on the establishment with his poignant messages and delighted the hear with his elaborate instrumentation. There is also Lagbaja, who is probably the most eclectic artiste Nigeria has ever produced, with his very evasive style of fusing music types making it difficult to tell if he is a Fuji, Juju, Highlife or Afrobeat musician.
9ice has impressed us by delving deep into the heart of Yoruba language to pass a message with an unlikely vehicle – hip hop and it sounds good on the dance floor, too.
Success stories have always started with someone doing things differently. This is the spirit which has advanced mankind through out the age.
By the way, can anybody tell us in simple English the meaning of “Gongo Aso” or “gudugudu, akin kanju ara kan gudu, okurin ogun” ? I actually picked the latter from 9ice’s song titled “Street Credibility”.
The reason I turn to music is that it provides a way of escape for me. Escape from the everyday madness that is Lagos – the traffic, the heat, the lightlessness, the rat race, office pressure, and the general swinging moods of the city arcane to that of a pregnant woman.So I escape to music to get my sanity, to set my spirit free, to put my thoughts in order.
Music is the way I get my kick. That is why I agree with Shakespeare that “the man that has no music in himself nor is not moved by the concord of sweet sounds is fit for treason, stratagems and spoils”.
I listen to everything under the sun from Apala to Zouk and everything in between, except Heavy Metal, which I think is utter noise and too culturally non-conformist.
At the moment my focus has been on the Nigerian music scene, which has become very vibrant in the last ten years. The focus actually is on those that label themselves Hip Hop heads. The truth is that Hip Hop is running the street and nobody puts it more succinctly than the enfant terrible of the Nigerian music scene, Rugged Man, when he said in his too-hot-to-drop hit ‘Ruggedy Baba’, “back then the world only knew juju, fuji, (highlife) and afrobeat, but now I cleared the whole area and hip hop is rocking the streets”. True.
What gladdens my heart, though, is not the fact that hip hop has taken over the airwaves. It is the way Nigerian artistes have injected a refreshing local flavour to this musical culture that makes everybody want to listen. When Rugged Man dropped ‘Ehen’ and ‘Big Bros’, where he dissed fellow Nigerian artiste, Eedrees Abdukareem and his benefactor, Kenny Ogungbe, that put all other artistes in check or practically sent them back to the studio.
A strong advocate of using your mother tongue to transmit your message, Rugged Man showed the example by inviting the current rave of the Nigerian music scene, 9ice for a collabo (the slang for collaboration coined by practitioners in the industry) in the song “Ruggedy Baba”. That song brought 9ice to national consciousness. I remember calling Rugged Man to ask him where he fished him out from.All of a sudden, 9ice is on everybody’s lips, I mean the song “Gongo Aso”. Even my colleague from Sao Tome, Airamindra Torres, could not get enough of it in spite of the fact that she could not understand a word of what the light skin artiste was saying.
9ice’s appearance on the scene has brought a number of issues to the fore; first is the need to get Nigerian languages to the younger generation and I’m not talking about the everyday Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa and Urhobo that we speak. We need to hear more of our languages on the radio and television.
One veritable way to do this is what 9ice is doing with his brand of hip hop that is laced with strong Yoruba proverbs. Chinua Achebe had said in one of his books that “proverbs are the palmoil with which words are eaten”.Second is the need to do things in a new way. I will stick to music.
Time was when only what was allowed in the church was one-part singing, and then the revolution of SATB (Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass) came, giving room to more melodious harmonies of voices. One of classical music major revolution came from Ludwig Van Beethoven with his 9th symphony. Symphonies were not supposed to have voices, but Beethoven shocked the world when he introduced voices (solo and chorus) to the 9th symphony and called it “Ode to Joy”, actually a poem by Friedrich Schiller, in the last movement. It is the first example of a major composer using the human voice on the same level with instruments in a symphony, creating a work of a grand scope that set the tone for the Romantic symphonic form.
There are countless examples of musical trail blazers; Scot Joplin, who created Ragtime, the precursor of Jazz; Bob Marley, whose lyrics and bass line (instead of his mien, dreads and ganja) made Reggae a mainstream genre of music. In Nigeria we had the irripressible Fela, who took on the establishment with his poignant messages and delighted the hear with his elaborate instrumentation. There is also Lagbaja, who is probably the most eclectic artiste Nigeria has ever produced, with his very evasive style of fusing music types making it difficult to tell if he is a Fuji, Juju, Highlife or Afrobeat musician.
9ice has impressed us by delving deep into the heart of Yoruba language to pass a message with an unlikely vehicle – hip hop and it sounds good on the dance floor, too.
Success stories have always started with someone doing things differently. This is the spirit which has advanced mankind through out the age.
By the way, can anybody tell us in simple English the meaning of “Gongo Aso” or “gudugudu, akin kanju ara kan gudu, okurin ogun” ? I actually picked the latter from 9ice’s song titled “Street Credibility”.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)