Reflection and Diffusion of Mbaise Culture through African Traditional Music: Abigbo Musicians’ Social Responsibility Model

Abstract

The study of Abigbo musical development in a rural setting aims at creating awareness on the functional values of a traditional Igbo customary music performance practice. It appends more recognition to African music demands as it affects a homogeneous society such as Mbaise. Through this study, new generation and posterity of African music researchers will encounter wider range of reference material to justify their African music research interest. This is possible as the work draws attention to attributes typical of Abigbo which serve as basic challenges to limited residual knowledge of African music. The work further unfolds traces of peculiar ethnomusicological thoughts inspired by captivating musical ideas propagated in Abigbo. It facilitates the appreciation of African musical touch divorced from Western or Euro-American music dominant influence. This is evident in the insight it provides on how and why Abigbo makes a showcase of the indigenous lifestyle in the course of its rendition. By exploring music creative possibilities and the fundamental skills in Abigbo verbal and instrumental communication, the study serves as a springboard for new learning, cross-cultural interactions and broad societal focus on African traditional music. This indispensably makes a broad-minded society open to unlimited ideas of music in local tradition. Thus, negligence of such an aboriginal African folk communities musical heritage and  resorting to any other readily available pieces of domestic but foreign music that make immediate appeal to the indigenes is contrary to Abigbo musicians’ role model in Mbaise. In another development, Uzoigwe’s research on Ukom references Abigbo musical functions with predominant emphasis on the areas of aged women interment rites, marriage issues and unnamed celebration of daily affairs. By these hanging statement of claims, he considered Abigbo music only strictly or majorly for checking marital misconducts in all their ramifications; gracing of adult feminine burial ceremonies et alia. This part-reference resolve can be misleading and therefore needs further inquisition through this scholarly review. Doing so will provide guidelines for adjustment and development that reflect the true position of Abigbo in Mbaise scheme of things.

Keywords: Reflection and Diffusion, African culture, Traditional music(ians), Abigbo, Mbaise, Social responsibility

Publication date:September 30th 2020

DOI: 10.7176/ADS/85-01