The urban centers of Nigerian have for decades been places of cultural blending and musical innovation. This song is by a Nigeria gospel singer in the indigenous Yoruba language. The style of the piece has varied influences, many of which derive from American music genres created and evolved by African-American musicians. This song highlights the devotional aspect of a lot of Nigerian popular music, as well as the Western influences on the music scene of the West African country.
Considering the size of the Yoruba ethinic group in Nigeria, in may be somewhat of a misnomer to call them a minority language group, even if they do not repsesent the largest ethnic portion of a very diverse country. However, as a former British colony, Nigeria’s offical language is English. Popular music sung in an indigenous language of a formerly colonized country retains the spirit of my endeavor to explore to efforts to maintain a language tradition through popular song. Decolonization efforts continue to today, as previously colonized people reclaim the ability to perform and practice music in the language of their people.
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