Ethos and pathos in Nigerian popular music: The historical discourse on cultural evolution and Igbo participation from post-independence era till date

Abstract

Popular music in Nigeria is kindled with a high spirit of cultural awakening and representation by different ethnic groups in their various musical practices. This paper examines the evolution of this musical culture- Igbo popular music in Nigeria from the post-independence era (1960) to the modern era (2020). This paper adopts the ethnographic method of gathering relevant data for evaluation and analysis. The outcome of the analysis reveals that the independence and post-independence era (1960-2000) were observed to have witnessed the highest level of creativity and ingenuity in musical outputs, through performances and marketing activities. On the other hand, the modern era (2000 till date), was adjudged to have witnessed high level of technological influx into the music industry. Despite this, musical creativity, lyrical depth, and dexterity in instrumentation by younger musicians were observed to be lacking. The activities of music producers, promoters and corporate organizations in promoting and advancing popular music in Nigeria dominated the better part of the modern era. It is thus recommended that much effort should be channeled into the documentation of popular music to raise the body of historic referral documents, which should be archived (digitally or physically) in cultural centres/ institutions in Nigeria, for easy access and referential purpose by researchers of allied disciplines.