By Kola
Adesina
The
pertinent question on the lips of ardent followers of Yoruba music is how
genuine sonorous Yoruba music usually
weaned on sensible meaning-laden lyrics
and driven by coordinated percussion of different genres degenerated to this
parlous state.
What went wrong? How come nobody can
continue the beat taking any semblance of a cue from the titans? Why do many
fans at home and abroad never cease to lament the total evaporation of
meaningful content from what is currently paraded as Yoruba music.
In a
bid to find answers to these questions it might be necessary to examine the
definition of what qualify as Yoruba music and its roots. The good thing here
is the consensus on the ties between Yoruba music, culture and processes of
socialisation of the Yoruba personage in all its ramifications. In 1924,
Kolawole Ajisafe in his highly regarded History of Abeokuta cut out a graphic
illustration of the Yoruba in his elements as depicted by his description of
the Egbaman. “From childhood to old age every Egbaman is considered superior to
woman. He was a farmer, trader, hunter, weaver of clothes, canoe-man, jujuman,
native doctor, drummer, singer, master of occultism, physician, judge, wood
carver, warrior, house builder and statesman.
Each of these calling has its own communication parlance derived from
everyday observation of interaction of attendant elements and people involved.
Narratives emanating from such endeavours form the bedrock of proverbs and
imagery associated with Yoruba usage.”
Apala as a music form took
its name from the small Apala talking drum. Its earliest exponents include
Haruna Ishola, Kasumu Adio, S.K.B Ajao-Oru, Fatai Ayilara, Ayinla Omowura,
Ojubanire Ajape. Accompanying instruments for Apala music included omele, akuba,
gudugudu, igba and sekere. Among all these, a name Ayinla Omowura stood out and
has since attracted the attention of academic researchers in terms of the
content and arrangement of most of his music which has now gone evergreen.
Benson Idonije, a
leading music journalist and a non Yoruba speaker had this to say after
requesting to witness an Ayinla Omowura
recording session at EMI Studios in the 1970s “I saw raw talent and artistic
motivation at their best...There were no music scores, neither were the songs written
down for all to know the order of performance. The whole thing was written in
the mind; and as soon as the first percussive note was struck, the session took
off with the call and response pattern in which Ayinla waited from one chorus
to another, establishing social commentaries with thought-provoking proverbial
and anecdotal lines.”
This article itself grew
out of a paper titled “ Ayinla Omowura’s music as Journalism” and premised on an unpublished academic study showing every LP released by the late
Egba born musician as a piece of journalism. Apart from informing, educating
and entertaining a mass audience Omowura’s record usually parade sections
similar to newspapers and magazines.
At the beginning, he was not making much
from music and had to engage in other chores while playing music for
consummatory purposes. When the EMI Records got him through late Taoreed
Adedigba, who was then an Artiste Manager, music became instrumental to
relative wealth and living big. He was also persuaded by the social
responsibility school of thought in communication theory represented by
devotion of a sizeable portion of many of his albums and even live sessions to
free public affairs announcements and commentary.
A
feature of his music is the inadvertent offering of free advertising or
promotion while commenting on current affairs such as in a 1968 hit single (“Danfo
O Siere”) in defence of the Volkswagen Combi People Carrier largely
embraced by public transport drivers then but prone to road accidents. In a stout defence of the vehicle, Ayinla
submitted argued there was nothing wrong with its engine or structure. His
track record in public affairs promotion
or commentary include the change from Left –hand-drive to the right in 1972 (April
2, lofin tunde, a change a tun gbo owo osi otun la follow se e gbo); Owo
Udoji – nationwide salary increase (Owo Udoji odi sisan fun awon osise);
Lagos State Rent Edict etc.
His lists of commentaries on obituaries
include the death of Ayinde Bakare a Lagos based musician who was murdered and
the slain General Murtala Muhhamed in 1976. Chart bursting releases from his
repertoire which could be classified as newspaper editorials include strongly
condemnation of skin bleaching by women and armed robbery and general advice on
how to manage a polygamous home. One of
his most spectacular contributions to poetry was a piece on women owning and
operating beer parlours.
A beer parlour of old is a restaurant
form where beer/lager and other liquor are sold with lady owner as chief salesperson
while the clientele is male. Omowura’s submission in this regard was that
husbands of lady beer parlours operators, having consented to the trade, must
not and cannot reasonably complain about their wives attending to too many male
customers.
On sports commentary Omowura gave a
vivid account of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) Challenge Cup finals
between Bendel Insurance FC of Benin and Mighty Jets FC of Jos 1972 and Mighty
Jets versus Enugu Rangers FC of Enugu in 1974.
Other sections for information and
entertainment in Ayinla’s music include Riddles and Jokes; poetic observation
of interaction and interplay of nature
and natural forces as well as intrinsic invocation of powers attributed by
Yorubas to plants, animals, objects and other natural phenomena widely regarded
as incantations.
On the dexterity and appeal of Omuwura
as it appealed to Idonije during his stint with him in the recording studios in
the 1970s, “I stayed through till the
end of the recording because I was carried away by the intricate complexities
of his rhythms and the bluesy, down-to-earth voice that sang. I did not
understand the message but the compelling sound of the ensemble and the
artistic creativity of his vocal inflections registered an indelible impression
on my mind.”
On May 6, it will be exactly 35 years
since this enigma exited this earth like an Iroko tree leaving a big gap in the
forest. Since then, Yoruba music has never been the same again and it is
looking like we have to settle for the mickey –mouse and at times mumbo-jumbo
now being parroted as Yoruba music. Even Fuji after Ayinde Barrister has
dissolved into zero-degree rendition of indecent sing-song. According to my
findings, what we have now is music as played by people bearing Yoruba names as
opposed to indigenous Yoruba music as described above.
To underline this impending but obvious
demise, use of the language in conversation and writing is declining by the day
while no person, organisation or government seem to have a clue on how to
redress the slide.
Kola Adesina is Head of Department of Mass
Communication, Crescent University, Abeokuta.
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