Functions of Children Satirical Songs: The Oyo-Yoruba experience (original) (raw)
Related papers
Didactic and pedagogical dimensions of Igbo oral children’s songs
Journal of Language and Cultural Education
There is a sharp decline in the performance of Igbo oral songs by children in recent times. Unlike in the days gone, children of nowadays rarely gather in groups in the evenings or during moonlight nights to play and perform some dramatic and musical renditions which are informal forms of education. Parents now encourage their children to watch home-movies and some channel programmes in the comfort of their homes; they encourage them to embark more on some in-door games while advancing security reasons as the basis for not allowing them to participate in various forms of open communal recreation. Such attitude deprives children of the essential moralistic and educational values expected to be imbibed from the rendition of native songs in playful groups. This paper which is based on a fieldwork carried out in 2018 in Umuawuchi, an Igbo community in Imo State Nigeria, investigates the instructional values of Igbo oral children’s songs. Reiterating the moral-imparting attributes of Igb...
The typical Africa society employs oral traditions such as folklore and folksongs in preserving and projecting their values, culture, and identity. The Igbo of South Eastern Nigeria for example, strictly marks out certain words relating to human sexuality and genitalia as taboo. Such words referring to the female body contours and privates are forbidden in common usage even among adults and this transcends the entire facets of culture-play, folklore, songs, ceremonies, rituals, etc. Currently there is a shift: the lyrical contents of most African/Nigerian popular songs, which used to be educative, normative, and critical of societal ills, have become weird and bizarre. The lyrical content and rhythmic import of these popular songs are so vulgar and suggestive of sex that one fears for the future of our cultural identity and the young who are inadvertently the major consumers. One is daily bombarded with such vulgar lyrics like ifentinye/ifensonye (coitus), ukwunwabebi (the female contour), k'isiemeya (active copulation), achoromikpuya (I want her genitals). This paper, therefore, seeks the place of music education in salvaging the situation by recommending the use of didactic and folksongs in teaching music throughout the entire tiers of our learning (nursery/primary/secondary/tertiary) because they are educative, normative, and preservative of culture. 2
COMEDY MUSIC IN THE NIGERIAN ENTERTAINMENT ARENA: A NOCTURNAL CREEP OR A VOLUBLY INFLUENTIAL UNIT
Olawole Aro, 2024
The idea of comedy music exists in most cultures, though it always may not recognized as such. However, the universal appeal of comedy music remains undeniable. The same is true for Nigeria, especially Yoruba culture, where comedy is naturally exhibited even when the performer does not necessarily intend to be humorous. This study explores the comedy music within the Yoruba cultural milieu and, more importantly, analyzes its impact on society and the individuals exposed to it. This research is based on Mikhail Bakhtin's remarks on folk humour. Therefore, the data used for this study were obtained through observation, audio and video recordings. The scope includes the comedic music practices in the South Western Nigeria. It was discovered that not every material is humorous to all but could also be tolerated. Therefore, individual differences hold sway during the discussion of comedy music. In a humorous presentation, for instance, the part that amuses Mr A may not be the same for Mr B, so, certain humour may require logical connection or prior knowledge for it to be funny. Consequently, it is believed that a lot needs to be discovered in this aspect of music. This is a call to explore all its possibilities because, among others, it is capable to supply entertainment, relief, coping mechanisms, tolerance, and healthy dispositions to all.
Songs as Agent of Satire in Ͻmpε Traditional Ensemble of Effutu
International Journal of Innovative Research and Development
One significant observation in a multilingual African society like Ghana, is the barrage of diverse music ensembles that are identifiable with a particular group. For instance, ensembles like Adowa, Adzewa, Ͻmpε, Asafo, Adenkum, Nwomkoro, Bᴐsoε and Sikyii are identified with the Akan while Kpalongo, Kolomashi, Kpatsa and Sunuu to the Ga and Damgbe. Agbadza, Bᴐbᴐᴐbᴐ are identified with the Ewe while Bamaya, Damba, Tᴐra are identified with Dagomba and some tribes in the northern part of Ghana. These ensembles, be it the dance, songs, and other aesthetic values it conveys have its unique roles in the lives of the people where ᴐmpε a traditional ensemble in Effutu is not an exception. Traditionally, songs play a major role in the lives of men. It serves as an avenue for expressing feelings and emotions. Largely, many people appropriate songs as a way to escape from the pain of life. It does serve such purpose however, it transcends past the relief of pain, reduction of stress and mere entertainment. In the world, the continent of Africa of which Ghana is not an exception, use songs in rituals and religious ceremonies to pass on the ethos of the society to its next generation. Rwafa (2010) asserts that songs carry values, norms, attitudes and beliefs of the people and that of individuals. Songs are then, an effective tool for communicating ideas and criticize behaviours that society abhors. Therefore, in the African societies, songs in its traditional sense have played an important role in the preservation and production of the African heritage strongly within and outside its borders. However, songs have its message to its intended audience. Songs are generally composed of two elements namely; sound, which is the primary element and lyrics, as its secondary component. This implies that lyrics or song text play a significant role in the performance of songs. This is because through the lyrics, the audience is able to understand and appreciate the meaning and the message the song carries. Dallin (1994) expressed that; Lyrics are written as a form of interaction between the writer and the listeners. Most of the times, they carry a message (whatever that might be) with the purpose of motivating the listeners, at least, to think about it. Such a purpose and form of interaction are embedded in the cultural context of these people, according to their preferences, time etc. By implication, every song has its message. The appeal and /or effectiveness of the song to the audience is predominately dependent on the lyrics. Again, the message contained in the song must reflect the cultural beliefs and ethos of the people to elucidate the appropriateness of the meaning to the audience and even the mode of delivery of the lyrics as well. Given the role of songs in the lives of traditional societies, it appears that in this contemporary time, performances from traditional ensembles such as the Ͻmpε, Nwomkoro and Adowa to mention a few, are losing its touch on its audience. The reason is that traditional songs seem to be looked at with disdain since it is not really of importance to the society and culture. That erroneous thought about music (songs) or the creative arts as not essential to the function of the society and
The context of children in Yoruba popular culture
Global Studies of Childhood, 2018
The Yoruba of Southwestern Nigeria describes children as the heritage of the society because children occupy a special place in societal survival and continuity. Children are esteemed and appreciated. Thus, the embedded culture propagates the essentiality of children, the need for proper socialisation and internalisation to make a responsible being ( Omoluabi). Also, children are prioritised above material wealth, and the essentiality of child wellbeing and education is emphasised in aspects of popular culture such as oral poetry, proverbs, local songs and popular music among others. Using extant elements of Yoruba popular culture which have remained dominant, this article contextually examines the value of children among the Yoruba.
Towards Transformation of the Nigerian Youths: The Place of Yoruba Popular Music
Yoruba studies review, 2023
Since the year 2012, West Africans, especially the Nigerian government and citizens have been witnessing an increase in civil crisis because of different crimes committed in African society and the involvement of the youths in these negative activities. Since music is said to have an emotional and psychological influence on human minds, this paper, therefore, examines the text content of and relevance of popular music in Nigerian society and highlights the role played by popular musicians as agents for positive transformation of the youths among the Southwestern part of Nigeria. Relying on Femi Adedeji's Transformation musicological theory, this work explicates the song themes and other lyrical contents of selected popular music in the Yoruba language fashioned towards positive transformative direction, for the purpose of socio-cultural analysis. The research findings show that some Nigerian popular musicians have for over three decades, been making use of the message in their music to sustain the positive transformation of lives and behavior of people of Nigeria, especially the youths. The song lyrics by the old juju, fuji, apala, sakara, and Pop musicians are found to be more effective because of the Yoruba cultural concepts and moral values inherent in them. This essay concludes that music has an affective mechanism that positively influences the lives, personalities, and world-views of Nigerian youths in general if properly channeled towards a positive dimension. This paper concludes that the Nigerian government should use appropriate agencies like the National Film and Records Censor Board and Nigerian Copyright Council to prevent music that 136 Olusola contains lyrics that can encourage violence and criminal acts circulated into Nigerian markets.
Music & Social Criticism in Nigeria (Thompson Olusegun Ewata)
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti used Yabis, his style of music and the Pidgin English to address the political, economic, and social conditions of the common man, the black race and the world. To him, music serves the multidimensional purposes of entertaining as well as educating the masses on the shortcomings in the society; and healing the state – ultimately, the world. The song, Beast of no nation (Anikulapo-Kuti, 1989), analysed in the paper, describes a state of betrayal of the innocent citizens by officers of the state and government of the day. It also takes a swipe at the United Nations. As a social commentator, Fela employed the medium of satire through the means of parody to ridicule the Nigerian judicial system; the government and comment on the vanity of the United Nations. Using the discourse analytical tool of conversation analysis, the paper adopted the concepts of adjacency pairs, turn taking and turn switch in analysing the sequencing of turns in the Beast of no nation as an interaction and as a real language element that communicates meaning to the intended audience. The paper discovered the song used different interaction devices, among which are: discourse markers (46, of 5 types, 2 universal and 3 localised), silence or short pauses (10), turns (150), adjacency pairs (54) as well as turn switches other transitional devices. The most significant finding of the paper is the extent to which Fela has used the Pidgin English to effectively communicate his message to his audience using the discourse elements of the pidgin. Keywords: conversation analysis, Fela Anikulapo, yabis, Pidgin, social commentary
Music & Social Criticism in Nigeria
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti used Yabis, his style of music and the Pidgin English to address the political, economic, and social conditions of the common man, the black race and the world. To him, music serves the multidimensional purposes of entertaining as well as educating the masses on the shortcomings in the society; and healing the state – ultimately, the world. The song, Beast of no nation (Anikulapo-Kuti, 1989), analysed in the paper, describes a state of betrayal of the innocent citizens by officers of the state and government of the day. It also takes a swipe at the United Nations. As a social commentator, Fela employed the medium of satire through the means of parody to ridicule the Nigerian judicial system; the government and comment on the vanity of the United Nations. Using the discourse analytical tool of conversation analysis, the paper adopted the concepts of adjacency pairs, turn taking and turn switch in analysing the sequencing of turns in the Beast of no nation as an interaction and as a real language element that communicates meaning to the intended audience. The paper discovered the song used different interaction devices, among which are: discourse markers (46, of 5 types, 2 universal and 3 localised), silence or short pauses (10), turns (150), adjacency pairs (54) as well as turn switches other transitional devices. The most significant finding of the paper is the extent to which Fela has used the Pidgin English to effectively communicate his message to his audience using the discourse elements of the pidgin.
A Conceptual Approach to the Study of Song and Music in Benin Society
This study attempts to provide a theoretical framework for the appreciation of music among the Benin, a strategic ethnic group in Nigeria. It investigates how concepts such as folk and popular song, music, noise, speech and sound find their relevant expression and place in the sociocultural, economic, moral and even psychological setting of the Benin world. Finally, it is discovered that a conceptual approach is crucial, not only to the situation of the Benin oral literary values within a Western ideological context, but also in the facilitation of an objective evaluation of critical aspects of the life of people.
"Lend Me Your Penis”: Sex and Sexuality in Yorùbá Lampooning Songs
All rights reserved. No portion of this journal may be reproduced, in whole or in part, stored in a database or retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other-except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior written permission of the publisher.