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WEDNESDAY )( JULY &'()
Yorùbá Music in the Twentieth Century: Identity, Agency, and Performance
Practice. Bode Omojola. University of Rochester Press+ New York+ &'(&# Pp# &,%# ISBN#
-$, (%,'*. *'-) !hb"# /$$#
Yorùbá Music in the Twentieth Century: Identity, Agency, and Performance Practice by
Bode Omojola is a unique and refreshing take on the study of Yorùbá music+ grounding
a wide range of Yorùbá musical genres in Nigerian history as well as in the experiences
of specific ensembles and artists# This study coheres as a narrative journey that begins
with a nuanced analysis of indigenous drum music and moves into analyses of women’s
vocal+ church+ popular+ and Islamic music genres# While the structure of this narrative
follows the chronological development of these styles+ each section stands alone for
those who are interested in a particular genre# The accompanying CD of () carefully
chosen songs0each track demonstrating specific arguments about technique+
aesthetics+ and style0allows the reader to listen to and appreciate these distinct genres
in their diversity and complexity# O1ering a historical+ ethnographic+ and musicological
approach+ this text analyzes how and why artists create particular musical genres within
particular political and economic periods during Nigeria’s transition from a colonial to a
postcolonial nation#
Omojola positions himself as a “native scholar” who has conducted over two decades of
ethnographic research with Yorùbá musicians+ acknowledging the methodological
challenges of cultivating an “outsider mentality” while drawing from his vast insider
knowledge about and experiences with Yorùbá music throughout the latter half of the
twentieth century# While growing up in the small town of Ìkò#lé2Èkìtì+ Omojola enjoyed
participating in cultural events and performance groups# He later trained+ performed+
and composed with Anglican church choirs and highlife bands# Omojola’s lifetime of
commitment to Yorùbá indigenous+ church+ and popular music enriches this study#
Omojola begins his narrative with bàtá !ensemble of conically shaped drums associated
with the pantheon of Yorùbá spirits+ particularly Sàngó" and dùndún !ensemble of
hour2glass shaped drums played for a variety of occasions" drumming because of the
historical and iconic status of drumming in Yorùbá culture and scholarship# Omojola’s
survey and analyses of the existing scholarship on Yorùbá drumming is poignant and
helpful to those with and without expertise# Omojola builds upon this body of
scholarship by contributing new arguments about the relationship between these two
styles and practices of drumming+ based on fieldwork conducted in &''.2$ with Ìbàdàn2
based bàtá drummers and Òsogbo2based dùndún drummers+ in addition to other
ensembles from southwestern Nigeria throughout the (--'s and &'''s# One of
Omojola’s claims is that tension exists between these two groups of drummers due to
the fact that bàtá drumming is less popular and relevant than dùndún in contemporary
Nigerian music contexts# He argues+ however+ that bàtá drummers are aware of their
marginalisation and have thus been organizing themselves in order to reclaim their
status as relevant musicians# Omojola’s focus on only a few ethnographic examples+ of
course+ leaves room for future research and debate about the issues he raises#
Chapters three and four focus on two genres of Èkìtì women’s vocal music# Significantly+
Omojola puts Èkìtì vocal music on the map and shows how two genres0the music of
the king’s wives !Olorì" and female chiefs !Aírégbé"0challenge some key assumptions
about Yorùbá music and gender that have been reproduced in scholarship dominated by
ethnographies of Ò#yó# Yorùbá cities and towns# Èkìtì music departs from+ and thus adds
new data and dimensions to+ the existing literature “in terms of the role and status of
women+ performance practices+ and compositional style” !,'"# Building on scholarly
discussions of gender in Yorùbá culture+ Omojola argues that “gendered allocation of
musical roles does not necessarily suggest male superiority or translate into an
advantage for the male” !$*"# While his analysis of the Èkìtì examples+ in addition to an
Ò#yó# Ò#s#un festival example+ leads to a compelling argument for the complementarity
of gender roles and authority+ I would caution against an over2generalisation about how
gender works in Yorùbá culture# As Omojola points out+ his examples are limited to elite
and elder women who participate in rituals supporting their towns and kings# Omojola’s
arguments about gender and music would be enriched with his artist interview data as
well as with audience interviews# While focusing on the process of composition leads to
interesting insights about artist creativity+ attention to how these songs were received
by their intended audiences would further our understanding of the meaning of these
musical genres#
Chapters five and six exude the richness of the author’s personal and ethnographic
expertise+ making this section a pleasure to read and listen to# Omojola’s biographical
portraits of the pioneers of Yorùbá Christian music reveal the music’s shifting social
relevance and diversity from its inception in the late (,''s to the present# Omojola
develops a compelling argument that the tonality of the Yorùbá language is at times
compromised for the sake of musical aesthetics+ arguing against previous assumptions
by scholars that Yorùbá music !tone+ melody+ intensity" is always true to !and thus
confined by" the tones of the language# A composition by classically trained+ diocesan
organist and choirmaster Dede#ke# !track six" illustrates multiple ways in which African
and European forms are synthesised in the genre of liturgical music reflecting the tastes
and agendas of an educated elite class who came of age during the early colonial period#
This chapter provides a wonderful background against which we come to appreciate the
“countercultural movement” of Aládùúrà !prayer bands"+ dating back to the early
(-&'s#
Well documented by historians of culture and religion+ Aládùúrà churches exemplify a
blending of Christian and Yorùbá cultures+ rituals+ aesthetics+ and symbolisms# What is
unique about Omojola’s discussion+ emerging from his focus on the movement’s music+
is his sustained argument that Aládùúrà choir sessions are cathartic+ therapeutic+ and
regenerative for choir members and thus+ for congregations# Having attended many all2
night sessions of the CCC’s !Celestial Church of Christ" Central Choir in Lagos+ Omojola
gives us a sense of what this movement is about for its participants3 being able to
inhabit a “zone of empowerment” !(.'" to deal with and heal from the “cruel
conditions of life” !(%%"# In contrast with European2centred liturgical music+ Aládùúrà
music is created by and reflects the experiences and aesthetics of masses of struggling
Nigerians# In one of my favourite tracks !eleven"+ the Central Choir seamlessly blends
multiple genres0choral+ organ+ highlife+ funk+ and fújì0illustrating the author’s
argument about the diversity of Aládùúrà culture and musical liturgy#
Chapter seven succeeds in tackling the broad and diverse terrain of Yorùbá popular
music by analyzing three distinct+ yet related+ genres through a framework Omojola
terms “syncretic2hybridity”3
…a quality that speaks to the capability of Yorùbá musicians to constantly alter and
reorder the intercultural language of their music to generate multiple meanings# In
the process+ global or Western elements are manipulated+ undermined+
demystified+ minimized+ and mirrored0in short+ subjected to multiple facets and
levels of signification# !(.*"
We learn about the history+ structure+ and content of3 (" highlife through an analysis of
Olaiya’s music4 &" Afro2beat through an analysis of Anikulapo2Kuti’s iconic Zombie
album4 and )" the syncretic2hybrid style of Lagbaja through an analysis of his song and
video+ “Skentele Skontolo#” Omojola’s historical and ethnographic discussions of each
style are enriched by easy2to2follow and interesting tables !$#(+ $#&+ and $#)" detailing
the “form and structural process” of songs representing each musician’s unique artistic
vision# By presenting his material in table form+ Omojola helps his readers who are not
trained to read musical notation to appreciate these songs as musically technical and
lyric2rich pieces# The appeal of this chapter is the author’s ability to illustrate how each
style’s musical language works to inspire particular aesthetic experiences+ political
discourses+ and conversations about everyday life in Nigeria# Despite the temptation to
interpret these syncretic styles as “global+” Omojola takes pains to show how these
styles ultimately reference “local” Yorùbá social+ political+ and economic issues#
The final chapter on Yorùbá Islamic popular music0a range of genres that fuse Islamic
themes and musical styles with mostly indigenous Yorùbá drumming and vocal music0
is the least developed+ in part because it covers about half as much material as the
chapters focusing on the other musical genres# Through analyses of two genres+ àpàlà
and wákà+ Omojola argues that Yorùbá Islamic popular musicians are not a homogenous
group and that they express particular politics of identity through the structure of their
music# Perhaps because of the brevity of this chapter+ Omojola’s discussions of class
and gender risk reproducing stereotypes or simple dichotomies even though this is not
his intention# While it may be generally true that Islamic popular music appeals to
working class Nigerians while highlife and jùjú appeal to the elite+ it would be helpful to
hear how this is not always the case and how the production and consumption of
Islamic genres has changed over time# For instance+ an analysis of fújì0the most
popular Yorùbá Islamic style for decades0would have opened up a more nuanced
discussion of syncretic aesthetics that have crossed the lines of region+ class+ gender+
and religion#
Omojola’s study is based on3 his lifetime of dedication to Yorùbá music4 participant
observation of a range of performances4 analyses of mostly ethnomusicological
literature4 musical transcriptions4 recordings4 and interviews# Had the author
incorporated more of his artist interview data into his analyses+ this work and its
theoretical claims would be even more nuanced# While one of Omojola’s arguments is
that individual musicians !as agents" reproduce and challenge collective structures+ the
reader rarely gleans the perspectives of the musicians themselves or their audiences4
thus+ the ethnographic analyses seem limited to the perspective of the author# Omojola
argues that the significance of musical syncretism !a defining characteristic of twentieth
century Yorùbá music" is not only how its elements are combined but also how
syncretic2hybrid forms reveal and shape local economic+ political+ and cultural
discourses and practices !(%"# While Omojola’s case studies reveal ways in which
twentieth century musical genres reflect and critique colonialism+ class+ gender+ religion+
and local politics+ the strengths of this study lie in its lively analyses of musical aesthetics
and structures#
The sheer scope and goals of this project make it exciting! This text builds on insights
from the rich body of scholarship on African and Yorùbá music+ illuminates some key
gaps+ and pushes future research in new directions# Original ethnographic cases bring
each chapter to life and illustrate the continuing relevance of each musical genre today#
Bode Omojola has expertly synthesised a wide range of musical styles and specific
performances in order to construct a history of Yorùbá culture through the lens of
music#
Reviewed by: Debra Klein+ Gavilan College#
[Published in Leeds African Studies Bulletin $% !Winter &'()/(*"+ pp# ((*2((.]
ARTICLE KEYWORDS3BODE OMOJOLA DEBRA KLEIN MUSIC NIGERIA
ARTICLE CATEGORIES3READING AFRICA
IN THIS ISSUE
STUDYING AFRICA
Black Consciousness in South Africa and
the Question of White Oppression under
Apartheid 2 Edward Powell
Positioning Kiswahili Video2films as a
Pedagogical Institution 2 Vicensia Shule
READING AFRICA
Inside African Anthropology3 Monica
Wilson and Her Interpreters
The African Diaspora3 Slavery+ Modernity+
and Globalization
Teaching Africa3 A Guide for the &(st
Century Classroom
Remembering Africa3 The Rediscovery of
Colonialism in Contemporary German
Literature#
S is for Samora3 A lexical biography of
Samora Machel and the Mozambican
Dream
Focus on Nigeria3 Literature and Culture
Lagos3 A Cultural and Historical
Companion
Yorùbá Music in the Twentieth Century
The Freetown Bond3 A Life under Two
Flags
Reading Marechera
Perceiving Pain in African Literature
Writing Revolt# An Engagement with
African Nationalism (-%$2.$
In The House Of The Interpreter
Summoning the Rains
Outcomes of Post2&''' Fast Track Land
Reform in Zimbabwe
From Head2loading to the Iron Horse3
Railway Building in Colonial Ghana and the
Origins of Tropical Development
IMAGINING AFRICA
The Other Side of the Bush 2 Patience
Nitumwesiga
REMEMBERING AFRICA
Tribute to Chinua Achebe 2 Ngugi wa
Thiong’o
Tribute to Lionel Cli1e 2 Raymond Bush
AFRICAN STUDIES BULLETIN NO# $% !&'()/(*" ///
Yorùbá Music in the Twentieth
Century
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