One major thing I love about my culture is music, music is highly integrated into Yoruba culture, music plays an important role in every aspect of the culture, music can be used to communicate, it can be played in social gatherings, religious ceremonies, and also cultural events.
DESIGNED USING CANVA
The Yoruba culture has different types of music that go in line with any occasion, there are songs for weddings, funerals, masquerades, and so on. Yoruba music features an enormous variety of instruments, including drums, percussion instruments, sekere, and bata. Yoruba vocals incorporate call-and-response patterns, as well as chanting and singing.
Yoruba music can be categorized into various groups
IJALA:- this is a traditional form of oral Yoruba poetry and chants performed by hunters, it is one of the Yoruba cultures that people no longer practice because of civilization but some people who live in the rural areas still do. I got to know about this when I traveled to my village, a guy was getting married and he happened to be a hunter, all his colleagues came out massively to form a gathering in other to honor him, they started singing their songs but it is very different from normal songs, it can be direct and understand by only the people of the same circle. It is in the form of chanting, and it is call and response.
Oriki: This is a genre of music that includes poetry and storytelling, often used to praise individuals, gods, or our past heroes. Oriki is known as a eulogy, oriki is a way of praising someone in my culture through singing, also you can praise a child that brings fortune to the family through oriki, oriki is in the form of music for praising someone. Also, oriki is used in praising God, we have different names of God in Yoruba, and this way we can put them in praising God.
There are many instruments used for music in Yoruba culture
We have the talking drum:- the Yorubas call it Gangan, in Yoruba culture talking drum as its name implies is used for communication, you can make a beat from it and people will understand what you are saying, it can also be a way to insult someone as well.
Sekere:- This one of the traditional Yoruba musical instruments formed from a gourd filled with seeds, it can also be formed using calabash seeds well, and it always brings a melodious sound to any type of music played to it.
Yoruba culture is so diverse in things like this but gradually people are abandoning our culture for modern culture, we no longer listen to our originated songs but prefer secular songs, Yoruba music has ways of speaking directly about conditions that you are going through, it may be a happy moment or a sad one.
Yoruba music is always comprised of their local instrument when composing and singing, it brings togetherness and elevates our culture, there is no how you will get married to a Yoruba daughter without doing most of these traditional rites, parts of this is where you will find people who beat talking drums in other to usher the bride in.
Yoruba music symbolizes cultural heritage, it has a way of expressing emotions and values. I value my culture and its music, it is something that I can never forget no matter how the civilization is, this is our father's legacy and we can't allow it to perish.
This is my entry for day 26 of the #juneinleo prompt of the #inleo initiative, If you'd love to participate, you can read about it in the announcement post
