THE IGBO GRIOT

Whenever the word Griot is mentioned ones mind races to the old Mali Empire, where Griot or Jali tradition is prominently established as a cast. This does not mean that the concept is peculiar only within the regions of the old Mali empire, where in this modern time we have countries like Mali, Senegal, Gambia and Guinea Conakry. The Griot tradition is found all over Africa in one form or another. In Nigeria for instance, the tradition exists in all the ethnic groups that made up the country. In the Northern part of the country, among the Hausa, Fulani, and other tribes of the north, a well established court musicians and custodians of the peoples art, and folk ways existed. And today there are modern Griots from that region to confirm this. Great Griot like Maman Shatar is a good example. In the Western part of Nigeria, the home of the Yoruba there had been court musicians, historians and praise singer also. The Yoruba poetry 'Ewi' is a specialty of the Yoruba Griot. They use it to covey historical events like wars and actions of great sons and daughters of the land. These days you still find a continuation of this practice. Among other ethnic groups of Nigeria like the Igbo, Edo, Kanuri, Izon, Efik, Tiv, Igbo and so on, this tradition exists.

Griot Tradition Among Ndiigbo

Among the Igbo of  Nigeria the Griot culture is a bit different. Different in the sense that most Igbo people do not have kings, so the idea of a court musician/historian never existed in such places. Despite this situation, the oral tradition systems were well established. There existed individuals who took up the duty of perpetuating the people's tradition through songs, poetry, and other art forms. 'Igbu Avu' for instance existed among the northern Igbo of Enugu, Nsukka and Abakaliki axis. It is a form of oral epic poetry that traces the generation of an individual’s family, while at the same time giving a vivid report of events in the lifetime of each of the ancestors, and the role they played therein. The Igbo Poet 'Ogbu Avu' carries out this duty during occasions, especially during the mourning of the dead. His repertoire brings out different forms of reaction from his audience depending on the message he conveys. They heave sighs and shook their head when certain names are mentioned, in remembrance of the life of the subject in the rendition. People can sometimes get carried away that they would not know when they for instance jump over fences in excitement as great deeds of their ancestor are narrated, or they may express their joy through shouting the traditional Igbo greeting ‘Cha-Cha-Cha Ibenyi Kwenu! To which the crowd responds 'Iyaa! This will be followed by what the Igbo call 'Ida Iya' in which the subject excitedly runs in one direction, raises one, or both of his legs high, and brings it down with a bang. His leg hits the ground with a corresponding ‘Iyaa’ from the crowd. This reoccurs in succession as many times as he repeats the act. This is an important form of art in the Igbo society, a functional art. It acts as a source for empowering group identity and solidarity.

Apart from the role of the poet 'Ogbu Avu' certain Igbo Masquerades are specifically assigned the Griot role. Some perform 'Igbu Avu' as they enter the arena or someone’s compound. The 'Inyinya agba oku’ masquerade of Udi people of northern Igbo is a good example. During festivals like the 'Aju' in Udi, the Inyinya Agba Oku masquerade visits homes of people, as it gets to the entrance of a home it starts from there to call on the head of the family, informing him that he has arrived to his abode. From there he starts giving short excerpts on the family lineage. This excites the members of the family; the males in this case as women are not supposed to see the masquerade and would go into hiding when it approaches a home. The male members in their excitement start the 'Ida Iyaa' act. For the masquerade this is a sign of welcome. When this is done it will then enter the compound and give a full 'Igbu Avu' performance which often feature the history of the clan and important events, including the role played by the ancestors from the linage of the host in their life time. Another Griot masquerade example is the 'Icheoku' (Parrot) masquerade. It is called so due to its talkativeness. Icheoku is commonly found among the Orumba, Izuogu, Isuochi surroundings.

The Modern Igbo Griot
Even though this form of art has been down - played nowadays due to unavoidable changes that swept through the Igbo society, some modern artists still maintain the Griot trend in their repertoire and thus can be referred to as modern Igbo Griots. Some of the known Igbo artistes that deserve this title includes artistes like the great Akunwafo Obiligbo , Okonkwo Asaa, alias 77, Area Scatter, Gentleman Mike Ejeagha, Ilezulike.

I have put together some works of these modern Griots for your enjoyment.
Ama Ndi Aneze/Akunwafo Obiligbo
Ilezuluike
Uwa Amarala/Area Scatter
Mike Ejeagha/Ka Esi Lee Onyeisioche