Abigbo Traditional Music and Dance Characteristics as Human Development Media in Mbaise

Abstract

Abigbo typifies a fourteen man ensemble of traditional musicians who sing witty songs in Igbo languages with dance accompaniment constituting a facet of its rendition. The ensemble makes use of the following instruments: three Conga drums of difference sizes, a clapperless bell, a clapper bell a basket rattle and a temple block. The study guards against the extinction of Abigbo music by investigating its musical and social values, thereby preserving specifically the music, dance and drama. Today, with the available musical resources to the disposal of different traditional band of musicians, music and dance in traditional cultures are formed and progressively sustained in their roles of improving the material and living conditions of the people. A paradigm of the affirmation is Abigbo traditional music and dance. Apart from field work primary sources of information, the print media relevant materials were equally consulted as complementary data logically support issues discussed in this monograph. The ineluctable characteristics of Abigbo music and dance are witnessed in the vocals, instrumentation, dance movement and steps artistically presented to hold the audience spell-bound. Well organized and disciplined human beings are primarily the most active agents in the process of these ‘musicultural’ roles identified with humorous dance. Surveyed in the contextual perspective of its human developmental roles, the cultural music goes beyond a process by which an ensemble of traditional musicians progressively acquire a mastery of their destiny, as they unite in musical performance designed to procure from their immediate environment, the resources needed to qualify, quantify and project their society as a pride of place. Abigbo as a community – based cultural music and dance is organized in conjunction with the social environmental needs, and is propelled by unquenchable eagerness to ameliorate the land and life style of the indigenes. Besides, their collective personality and creative potential are the moving forces behind the realization of social transformation as the musical roles progress through performance. Consequently, Abigbo ensemble in its media roles seeks to fight for the cause of the compatriots to uplift their basic developmental structures to a great height. This has been achieved through vocal artistry, use of relevant song texts with apt themes, effective communication with lingual-tuned conga drums: stylized dances with definite postures, stances, gestures, movements and steps to convey comprehensive messages of social importance.