THE GLEEFUL SOUNDS OF NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

It will be improper to start without wishing a great nation, Nigeria, a happy centenary. Through hard work, dedication and sacrifices, Nigeria has become what it is today (the indomitable giant of Africa), though not perfect. Before hinting about perfection, we should know there is no perfect state in the world. America as the strongest nation in the world cannot possibly boast of perfection because it still has its own flaws. I was asked by a good citizen of Nigeria why we should possibly be celebrating hundred years of existence when Nigeria existed even before the British colonized us, that it is improper for Nigeria to celebrate only its existence as an offspring of the British people. Frankly, I was tempted to succumb to that, but on a clearer view of Africa and colonization, there was no Nigeria before 1914. All there was, were numerous groups of tribes/kingdoms/nations living without boundaries, until the British people separated them from several other similar tribes/kingdoms/nations, grouped them together as "countries", created boundaries and then split them again into states and regions of that country with even more boundaries. So Nigeria only became Nigeria after 1914, but before 1914 all that existed were the different kingdoms in the different regions like the Arewa, the Oduduwa and the Igbo kingdoms respectfully.

INTRODUCTION

Nigeria has come a long way in every aspect of its dealings, but how far has it come in realizing the potentials of its creative industry that is making waves across the globe? In order not to digress entirely from the topic at hand and in order not to bore you with the whole before and after Nigerian history, I will cut right to the chase.

This paper will be based on the gleeful sounds of Nigeria as the topic suggest. 'GLEEFUL' as the word entails has to do with joyfulness, filled with high spirited delight. High spirited delight in this context has to do with the exciting part of Nigeria. By 'EXCITING' I mean the music, movies, comedy, fashion and trends which basically fall under the 'Entertainment' industry of Nigeria. Above all, the paper will look at how far the creative industry has gone in the past 100 years, and how far the government has gone in realizing its potentials and working towards its developments. I tag it as the 'Exciting Part' basically because like every other nation, Nigeria has many other sectors ranging from politics to infrastructure, oil and gas, and lots more. But the only 'GROOVY' aspect of Nigeria is the 'Entertainment'.

The Nigerian entertainment and creative industries consists of a wide range of players, including actors, musicians, comedians, authors of screenplays, recording companies, radio and television stations, as well as directors and producers. These diverse groups of players can be broadly grouped into the film and music industries, and both industries have, over time, risen to prominence not only within Nigeria, but also on the African Continent and beyond.

Nigeria is also renowned for its musical talents. The country is home to a number of internationally renowned musicians whose works are widely enjoyed by diverse audiences.

In the past 100 years, the music industry has passed through one phase to the other to get to where it is today. The pre-colonial era music in Nigeria was holistic in approach: they learnt how to play instruments, sing and dance, met in recreational centers to display culture and music, and ensured that music was imbibed right from childhood. The post-colonial era eradicated such and made it modern: the recreational grounds are now known as theaters and cinemas and clubs and musical halls. Western life and western education was brought into the picture and village squares that were used as recreational centers gave way to town halls and other development projects. The acceptance of the western way of life gave room to western music, and gradually, interest in traditional music and dance waned in preference to foreign music. Do not get me wrong, I am not saying the traditional way of music has been eradicated completely; as a matter of fact, core traditional songs still make waves and tradition is still being practiced in most places, but if you understand what I mean, you will know that secular music in this twenty first century has taken over culture, thus the growing ups follow what the grownups do and culture is no longer being practiced as it was in the pre-colonial era of Nigeria.