United Kingdom-based Nigerian songwriter, poet, and singer, Adeyinka Akinwande, has a unique style. He employs his local dialect; Yoruba, to deliver his lines for his mixed audience of Africans, Latinos, whites, and the Caribbean. TAIWO ALIMI writes.
HE has been enticing the world with poetic chants and performances. Adeyinka Akinwande is an enigma on stage. Speaking from his base on his new singles, which is a blend of traditional Yoruba poetry and chant, spirituality, and afro music, he said his song is synonymous with his African origin and many in the Diaspora, who may have lost their originality easily identify with it.
His new singles titled ‘Adura ori: Agogo marun idaji’ (Prayer for the inner head at 5 AM), ‘Iya ni’ya mi.’ (My mother is indeed a mother) and Adura meta obinrin meji (Three prayers two women) are laced with traditional chants and praises.
A communicator by profession, Akinwande’s path to poetry and singing is swayed by his upbringing. “I was brought up in a society where you wake up to see masquerades running around, children playing and shouting without any shirt on and churches playing their music, and people calling themselves at the top of their voices from afar. My mum taught me how to read and write with the Yoruba vowels before I got into Primary School. I did not go to nursery school. She taught me with slate and chalk. Then, she bought me books of D.O Fagunwa, ‘Aditu Olodunmare’ and so on. I started reading Yoruba books even before I entered school.
“When I came to the UK, I joined the Bush Theatre Neighbourhood Company and sometimes I would break out in Yoruba chants poetry and talk about Lagos and Nigeria and the producer fell in love with it. He would encourage me to speak. I also do some jam sessions with St Mongos Charity and we go to the studio and record some songs and the lead guitarist love what I do. These are the people that encouraged me.
“It is difficult to take that part of me, the Abule (Village) upbringing out of me. It you are familiar with the African poem, ‘We have come home,’ you will know what I’m talking about. Some people go abroad but they don’t know where they belong any longer. ‘And the monotonous rhythm of the paternoster drowned the howing on the plantations.’ I know where I belong and I cannot shelve it for anything.
He recalled the times he wowed the U.K audience with traditional chants. ”I’ve done a one-man show on stage in the U.K, and people love it. I did ‘The language of the gods’ and I saw the reaction of the people. They were clapping and shouting and jumping and it got to a point that they stopped shouting and were just snapping their fingers and shaking their heads and listening.
“At that point, I stopped speaking English and began to chant Yoruba oriki (panegyric) of Ibeji and Ori(Twins and Inner Head panegyric) and they just stopped. My audience was a mix of white, black, Latino, and Caribbean. Some of them have lost their origin and don’t know who they are. We have our own heroes and heroines who are called orisa. They are not gods but our own stars that we should be celebrating and these are the persons I chanted about and titled it ‘The language of the gods.’
“I did not speak English and they enjoyed it. They said they felt the energy as if they were back home and that was it. I’m just doing my thing and anyone that it touches is my audience.”
As for the Nigerian audience, he said his brand has touched many.
“I’ve been in music for a long time and I just want to do my thing. My song is for everyone. It is from me to everyone. It is a mix of spirituality, poetry, and afro music. I don’t want to restrict it to gospel music. Whatever you perceive it to be, then they should take and wherever it touches them, they should hold it well. I know it is Yoruba traditional people that do much of Ori prayer because they understand the spirituality that is behind the inner head (Ori inu), that is the spiritual head, and the outer head or physical head (Ori ode). So I will call it a deeply spiritual song not minding the end it is coming from. I’m not selective of who I’m sending my message, it is for Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and Traditionalists. It is for everyone. It is very poetic because I enjoy listening to traditional poetry like that of Pa Yemi Elebuibon.
So, what inspires the songs? “Adura ori: Agogo marun idaji’ is inspired by my belief that God hears the early morning prayers. I love to pray around 5 AM. I love to fast too. I believe that very early in the morning when I go to work in the U.K I have that strong feeling that I’m not the only one, there are spiritual beings around me and there is a particular time, especially in the early hours of the day that God sends out helpers, angels, that are above human beings, to assist us. I believe that God will not neglect people that pray to him and that cry to him. So, he sends out his angels to say Amen to their prayers at the break of dawn.”
“The second one: ‘Iya ni’ya mi,’ in fact, I did not plan to title it that way. I just sang it, but by the time I was composing the song, I was crying. Tears I could not control because at the time I just lost someone that was dear to me; my sister; Adesola Adeyemisi, the wife of Alakija.
“She took the position of our mother when ‘Mama’ passed on. ‘Mama’ made us as many as we were, nine of us, and Mama made us like a bunch of brooms. She made us strong and love each other. There was a time I met Late Dayo Kujore (Popular Juju artiste) and he asked me if I’m the same Akinwande that lived at Abule Ijesa, I said yes. He said he lived in our house as a struggling young man and my mother was like a mother to him and looked after him. He said ‘Iya Ibeji’ as my mother is popularly called, provided for all that came her way. When I told her he was talking about my own mother, he was happy. That birthed this song because mothers like that don’t die. They remained forever in our memory because of the good fruits they have sowed.
“Where my mother stopped my sister took over. God bless her soul. She ensured that we lack nothing. When I came to the UK, my sister bought land and started building it on my behalf before I gave her any money. She offered us a lot of help. Unexpectedly, she passed at just over 60 years to COVID-19. It was a painful loss. I felt I did not take care of our mother well enough and would lavish that love on my sister. My plan was for my sister to live with me and for me to bless her when she’s old. But, she too did not stay.
“That brought back the memory of my mother; Iyabode Ayinke and I wrote this song with tears. If you have a mother, look after her. It does not matter what people say about her, don’t listen. Take care of her.”
The third song ‘Adura meta obinrin meji’ (Three prayers, two Women) was released recently and produced by one of the best producers I’ve met, Seyi Ajayi. The song features Dupe Osinowo Eniafe and Sade Owoyemi, an Ilaje gospel artiste. It is a prayer song from mothers to their children.”
The choir/drama boy turned composer and singer is looking forward to promoting his songs in Nigeria.
“I have been in and out of music due to some challenges but Eledumare (God) has always brought me back and now I believe it is God’s will for me. I’m not quitting anytime soon. I plan to come to Nigeria to promote it,” Akinwande added.