The music of Nigeria includes many kinds of folk and popular music. Little of the country's music history prior to European contact has been preserved, although bronze carvings dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries have been found depicting musicians and their instruments. The country's most internationally renowned genres are Indigenous, Apala, Aurrebbe music, Rara music, Were music, Ogene, Fuji, Jùjú, Afrobeat, Afrobeats, Igbo highlife, Afro-juju, Waka, Igbo rap, Gospel,Nigerian pop and Yo-pop. Styles of folk music are related to the over 250 ethnic groups in the country, each with their own techniques, instruments, and songs. The largest ethnic groups are the Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba. Traditional music from Nigeria and throughout Africa is often functional; in other words, it is performed to mark a ritual such as the wedding or funeral and not to achieve artistic goals. Although some Nigerians, especially children and the elderly, play instruments for their own amusement, solo performance is otherwise rare. Music is closely linked to agriculture, and there are restrictions on, for example, which instruments can be played during different parts of the planting season.
Music of Jammu and Kashmir reflects a rich musical heritage and cultural legacy of the Indian-administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Two different regions of Jammu and Kashmir consists the Jammu region and Kashmir Valley. Music of Kashmir Valley has influences of Central Asian music while music from Jammu region is similar to that of other regions of North India.
A slit drum or slit gong is a hollow percussion instrument. In spite of its often being called a drum, it is not a true drum because it lacks a drumhead, the membrane stretched across the top of a true drum. It is classed instead as an idiophone in which the entire instrument vibrates.
An agogô is a single or a multiple bell now used throughout the world but with origins in traditional Yoruba and Edo music and also in the samba baterias. The agogô may be the oldest samba instrument and was based on West African Yoruba single or double bells. The agogô has the highest pitch of any of the bateria instruments.
The kim-kim or Udu is a plosive aerophone and an idiophone of the Igbo of Nigeria. In the Igbo language, ùdù means 'vessel' or 'pot'. This is a hand percussion instrument and it is one of the most important instruments in Igbo music.
Arondizuogu (Aro-ndizuogu) is a town inhabited by the Aro people, an Igbo subgroup in Imo State of Nigeria. The Arondizuogu community is believed to have migrated from Arochukwu in the present Abia State to their current settlements in Imo State, which include the Okigwe, Ideato North and Onuimo local governments.
Igbo music is the music of the Igbo people, who are indigenous to the southeastern part of Nigeria. The Igbo traditionally rely heavily on percussion instruments such as the drum and the gong, which are popular because of their innate ability to provide a diverse array of tempo, sound, and pitch. Igbo music is generally lively, upbeat, and spontaneous which creates a variety of sounds that enables the Igbo people to incorporate music into almost all the facets of their daily lives. Some very popular Igbo musical styles are Igbo highlife, Ogene, Igbo gospel.
Mmanwu is a traditional masquerade of the Igbo people of Southeastern Nigeria. They are performed only by males in exclusive secret societies and involve the use of elaborate, colorful costumes that are meant to invoke ancestral spirits. Masquerade traditions have a varied range of purposes that span from performing elements of epic drama derived from community cosmology and lore, ushering in new months and seasons, honoring totems and ancestral spirits, enactments of parables or myths, with entertainment and community building serving as a consistent commonality. In the past masquerades also bore judicial, social regulatory, and even policing powers, however though these functions have decreased in modern times.
An Ikoro is a musical instrument created and used by the Igbo of Nigeria. It is a slit drum that is beaten with a stick or sticks and can be used in some parts of Igbo land for communicating, similar to a talking drum. Ikoro cannot be played by anyone. It is so special that any time its sound is heard people will gather at the village square. As soon as it sounds, people around assume that any of the following has happened: murder, land has been defiled, an outbreak of war, a calamity has befallen the community, etc. Any time the ikoro is heard, people gather at the village square to hear the latest developments. Ikoro also brings a sense of urgency.
The igba is a tom-tom that has a beating surface of the same approximate diameter as a bongo. An igba may be as small as seven inches, or as tall as three feet. Traditionally, the deeper shelled igba are played with the hand, while the shorter drums are played with a curved stick. In an ensemble these drums often lead, and are used to "talk" by the talking drummers. By hammering on the tuning wedges which line the perimeter of the skin, the player tightens the drum's skin to achieve the desired pitch and tone.
Ogene is a style of Igbo music consisting of, and taking its name from, the ogene instrument, which is a large metal bell. The Ogene instrument has historically been made by the Igbo people of Nigeria. It is one of the most important metal instruments of the people.
Oliver Sunday Akanite, better known by the stage name Oliver De Coque, was a Nigerian guitarist and one of Africa's most prolific recording artists.
Igbo culture are the customs, practices and traditions of the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria. It consists of ancient practices as well as new concepts added into the Igbo culture either by cultural evolution or by outside influence. These customs and traditions include the Igbo people's visual art, music and dance forms, as well as their attire, cuisine and language dialects. Because of their various subgroups, the variety of their culture is heightened further.
Egedege Dance is one of the most renowned traditional dance outfits and an Igbo traditional Royal-styled cultural dance in the whole of South Eastern Nigeria. Founded in 1985, it is a reincarnation of an old version originally performed by the ancestors of the present-day Unubi. In those days, it was a moonlight dance, performed by youths. It has however been remodeled to fit modern trends. Their performance is a combination of songs, dance, Instrumentation and colorful traditional outfits. Their performance is introduced by elaborate fluting which is the entrance cue that heralds the group, led by the queen. The singing only begins when the queen reaches the stage and takes the microphone. She arrives under a big umbrella, carried by one man, with another fanning her from behind. She sings but sometimes dance to the rhythm of the instrument. Egedege dance was made popular by Theresa Onuorah in Unubi Town. She is happily married and lives in Unubi. The name Egedege stems from a local slang for richness and bravery which explains why the dance is considered Cultural classics and are only played in a royal homes or rich families.
Odumodu is a folk style of music that is predominantly sung among the Arochukwu, Bende, Ohafia, Abiriba, Umuahia, Ikwuano, and Ngwa people of the Igbo ethnic group, of Abia State, located in southeastern Nigeria. It is mainly used to uplift spirits and entertain guests at events, while extolling the virtues of illustrious men and women, and telling stories that edify.
Ijele Masquerade, known as the biggest Masquerade in Sub-Saharan Africa, is a tradition of the Igbo people of Nigeria and was listed in the UNESCO Archives as an intangible cultural element in need of urgent safeguarding. In many communities in the state of Anambra in South-Eastern Nigeria, celebrations, burial ceremonies and other special occasions during the dry season to evoke fertility and a bountiful harvest feature the performance of the Ijele masquerade.
The Waawa clan of Northern Igboland, also referred to as Ndi Waawa, Wawa People, are a unique sub-group of the Igbo people in Enugu and Ebonyi State, Nigeria, consisting of several communities, who all speak a unique dialect of Igbo called Waawa. The most notable among these are the Agbaja and Ngwo which consist of peoples between the wooded lands of Awka to the rocky valleys of Enugu. The Agbaja are made up of communities in present-day Ngwo clan, Udi, Ezeagu, Umulokpa, Igbo-Etiti, Oji River, greater Awgu, Aninri and Enugu East Local Government Areas. Other notable parts of the Waawa clan include Nkanu, Nsukka, Abia, Nike, Agbani, Owo, and other communities in Enugu State. The Waawa are most notably associated with Chief Onyeama's people from Eke, who was the paramount ruler of Agbaja in the early 20th century.
Afiaolu is a traditional festival held annually in Nnewi, Anambra State, Nigeria around August. The Afiaolu festival commences on “Eke” day with what is traditionally described as “Iwaji” and Ikpa Nku, this heralds the availability of new yam as well as thanksgiving to God. The festival includes a variety of entertainments including performance of ceremonial rites by the Igwe (king), cultural dance by girls and masquerade dance.
Owo is a town in Nkanu East Local Government Area (LGA) of Enugu state, Nigeria. Owo consists of six main villages: Ashishi, Ohuani, Ishiegu, Ogere, Emene and Ndiagu. Other settlements which were originally part of the main villages are Ejaogbo, Mbulu, Ekeagu, Obegu ishiagu, Obegu Emene, Obegu Ogere, and Obegu Ohuani. These make up Mbulu Owo autonomous community created in the year, 2006. The town is an agrarian community: About 80% of the population are farmers. The population of Owo in 2014 was 9,879. The estimated population of Owo in 2022 is over 14,000 people.
Ejike Benedict Obiano known professionally as Ejyk Nwamba or Ogene master, is a Nigerian musician from Anambra State. One of the front men in Ogene music, a musical style which is popular in the Eastern part of Nigeria, Nwamba is regarded as the best Ogene musician in Igboland. He is the recipient of several accolades, including Artist of the Year at the 2021 Ukpor Special Awards and Best Indigenous Artist of the Year at the 2022 Anambra Legends Achievers Awards.
