Celebration as a Choice in Nigerian Indigenous and Modern Music

Academic Paper from the year 2022 in the subject Musicology - Ethnomusicology, , course: Theatre Arts, language: English, abstract: Using the theory of remix with particular emphasis on the selective remix, this paper re-evaluates the concept of celebration in the Nigerian culture using the music, Osondi Owendi, originally sung by Osita Osadebe and remixed by Chinedu Okoli, (flavour). Findings from the evaluation show that the concept of celebration amongst individuals in the society largely depends on choice as against the popular notion which has it that the life of the African is that of perpetual celebration. This lies in the fact that the motivation to celebrate in recent times is affected by occurrences in the society which are sometimes negative. Moreover, the choice to perpetually celebrate is made depending on life situations. Thus, just like the western society, choice is also a value that should be respected and upheld. In view of the above, this paper recommends that the concept of choice should be highlighted as an important value. Again, considering the changing nature of the society, more modern artistes should adopt the indigenous forms of music and further use it to communicate the values that the Nigerian society hold in high esteem.