Jụọ Ndigbo

The  Oriental Brothers International Band , otherwise known as the Oriental Brothers, is a legendary highlife band from Eastern Nigeria. They began in the early 1970s, shortly after the Nigerian-Biafran War. The band epitomized Igbo culture’s resilience and pride. The band was made up of Sir Warrior (Christogonus Ezebuiro Obinna), Dan Sack Opara, Nathaniel Ejiogu, Godwin Kabaka Opara, and Prince Ichita. The genre of their music was deeply Igbo highlife, mixing Igbo tunes with jazz and swing. The music reflected Igbo worldview, struggles, hopes, and aspirations. Their music portrayed Igbo life situation after the civil war. Igbo “Ajambene”  (a chorus always associated with the tortoise), which is a strand of Musesophy can be derived from all the Oriental Brothers songs. Iheọma adịghị onye ọsọ epitomizes Igbo understanding of the world, the value of goodness, the opportunities of life, the reality of destiny, and the need for God and prayers. Iheọma adịghị onye ọsọ – Igbo Lyric...

One late night during the planting season, known as  oge unwu  in Igbo land, a widow sent her only son to fetch some fire embers from a neighbor. The boy set off and decided to take a shortcut, passing under a massive breadfruit ( Ụkwa ) tree. As he walked beneath it, a heavy breadfruit suddenly fell from a branch, striking him on the head. The impact was fatal, and he was killed instantly. When his mother was alerted, she was overcome with sorrow and began to wail and lament. Gịnị g’emere m Ụkwa nooooo! O nwa’ele ele! Gịnị g’emere m Ụkwa nooooo! O nwa’ele ele! Ụkwa mere gịnị? Ụkwa dagburu nwa-Aka n’ụkpọrọ k’ọgara ngụtara nne ya ọkụ! Then, the Pestle divided the breadfruit. The widow started to wail and lament again: Gịnị g’emere m Obi nooooo! O nwa’ele ele! Gịnị g’emere m Obi nooooo! O nwa’ele ele! Obi mere gịnị? Obi mawara ụkwa. Ụkwa mere gịnị? Ụkwa dagburu nwa-Aka n’ụkpọrọ k’ọgara ngụtara nne ya ọkụ! Then, the termites ate the Pestle. She started to wail and lament again: G...

I remember again the stories told us by my grandmother about an orphan whose father’s wife (or stepmother) refused to give a piece of Ụdara fruit when she was sharing the same Ụdara fruit with her stepsiblings. Her stepmother separated the children between hers and the orphan. This story depicts an orphan as a child who had lost a mother. We know that an orphan is someone who has lost one or both parents. We will maintain an understanding of the usage of the word ‘orphan’ in the story to signify a child who has lost a parent (mother) in this context. Quietly, the orphan collected the seeds of the Ụdara fruit her stepsiblings had thrown away and planted them in a corner of their garden. Every day, she watered the seeds as she sang: Ụdara m tobe. Nda! Ụdara m tobe. Nda! Tobe! Tobe! Tobe! Nda! Nwunye nna m. Nda! Zụta ụdara n'ahịa. Nda! Rachanwo nwa enwe nne. Nda! Nwa enwe nna, nwa enwe nne. Nda! El'ụwa bụ ọrịrị. Nda! Onye nọsịa ọ naba. Nda! Bere kwukwukwu kọmsịa Bere otu nwa k...

Osita Osadebe was one of the best-known Igbo highlife musicians and songwriters, who hailed from Atani in Anambra state, Nigeria. He wrote over 500 songs of which his musical style was a summary of Igbo culture, traditions, idioms, proverbs, and way of life. His music was known to last longer than other Igbo highlife musicians and his voice often made the listeners relax and follow the tempo or rhythm of the beats. His songs often exude some healing powers that were characteristics of how the songs indulged the listeners. Among his many songs, ‘ Agadi Nwanyị na Inine’  comes to mind and can be used to describe the Musesophy of his  (Onye bili ibeya ebili)  ‘Live and Let Live.’ I will give the lyrics of the song in the Igbo language and the English translation. Also, we shall attempt to bring to the fore the morals, wisdom, and the golden rule principle. Ije agadi Nwanyị na Inine Agadi nwanyị chọlụ k'ori inine, Mana ọmazị na inine n'elokwara ya ililo. Makana inine kwuzil...

Amaraefe mụrụ ụmụ n’eri, ụmụ iri n’otu. Ekpenta taba otu n’ime ha. Enyi nwoke Amaraefe batara n’ụlọ Amaraefe wee hụ ka osi n’ata ahụhụ. Ọdịghị ihe ọzọ mere n’abụghị-ịsị ya k’otufue nwa ya nwere ekpenta. Amaraefe onye di ya nwunarịrị ya ele anya n’elu na ala. Ọdịghị ebe ọzọ ọga-esi nweta enyemaka. Ọkpọlite nwa ya ahụ ekpenta n’ata k’oje tufuo ya n’abọ nkwụ. Anya mmiri malitere gbaba ụmụnne iri ndị ahụ zuru oke. Amaraefe n’onwe ya n’agbasi anya mmiri ike bodobodobodo. Enyi ya nwoke tufuo ihu ya. Ọchọghị ihu anya mmiri ndịa. Amaraefe mesịrị tufuo nwa ya n’abọ nkwụ. Kwa ụbọchi nwa ahụ atufuru atufu nọ n’akwa akwa n’agụkwazị egwu. Orue otu mgbe ụfọdụ ụmụnwanyị n’alọ ahịa; nwata a nwere ekpenta malitekwara n’agu egwu n’ebekwa akwa n’asị: Nnem nwanyị Amaraefe - njom njoroko Nnem nwanyị Amaraefe - njom njoroko Amaraefe mụrụ ụmụ iri - njom njoroko ụmụ iri n'otu - njom njoroko Ekpenta taba otu - njom njoroko Enyi ya nwoke abata - njom njoroko Ọsị ya tufege ya n'abọ - njom njoroko Ya tufe...