The Positive And Negative Effects Of Evolution In African Music Today
Photo by Ila Bappa Ibrahim
Evolution is something we all desire. I was in a meeting some days ago and the speaker of the day made a statement that captured my attention. He said, "The day we stop changing as a result of growth, it means we are dead."
Honestly, positive transformation is something that is supposed to be consistent with life if we are really going by the right principles.
Over the years there has been massive evolution in almost every area of life. Different inventions and innovations have been coming and life has never ceased to be better, though this change has its negative sides too.
I grew up knowing African music to be the best, I am not saying this because I am from Africa and it's just an opinion, in case yours is different.
Permit me to say that music is like a culture in Africa, our various traditions and cultures all revolves around music. Before the coming of this digital age, in Africa there were various local music instruments like gangan, ekomo, aurun, goji, horns, dunduns and so on , (These are for Nigerians, other places have theirs too) crafted by our people for music.
Except you have not visited local occasions in the village before but if you have, you can bear witness how excellent music is made with those instruments.
Back then, music was not simply done, there was a pattern of decency and powerful message in most of the songs.
We can't deny the fact that music was crude then, there were quite some limitations that we can't deny but even at that, when you listen to an ideal African song, you will know that you have encountered music.
Fast forward to our day, thank God for technology, African music has experienced so much growth that is too obvious not to talk about.
There are different sound systems and modern instruments that have replaced our ancient instruments. Now it's so easy to do music and it seems anyone can come into the field and thrive unlike the ancient times. Indeed music has climbed another height and it's a beautiful thing.
However, I expected that evolution comes with modifications, expansion and improvement of what has already been laid but the reverse is what I am seeing in our day.
Our African norms and culture of music are gradually dying away and we are embracing another culture entirely. Hardly will you see our local instruments that give our music a powerful melody now playing a role in music.
Our songs that used to be full of messages are now something else. Our dances are also gradually rolling out, our modesty in appearance has vanished into the thin air.
These things make me wonder whether we are growing in music or we are evolving into something different. I am not against evolution. I am blessed by the changes we are seeing around today, but these things shouldn't make us throw away our culture.
Every place is known by it's culture, why are we throwing away our culture for another in the name of evolution? True evolution for me is making better what is already in existence and not writing it off.
I wish most of the African musicians will realize this thing early and take a journey back to where they missed it and start over again. Our culture defines us, embracing that of another people makes us thieves and hypocrites. Even if we are pressed to learn other cultures, it should be like an additional culture, it shouldn't make us abandon our own.
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