The Place of Folklore in the Music of Akpomedaye Ofua

Abstract

This paper examined the role of music production involving Urhobo people’s folklore as contained in the recorded music of the Chief Ofua (1925-2019),  an Urhobo musician/orator. The investigation was based on the fact that Urhobo people's experience can be extracted from their numerous folklores  since it is generally believed that customs and myths of the Urhobo society have been passed down using folklore through the generation of the Urhobo  commoners. The contribution to the cultural experience of the Urhobo folk by Ofua ever concerned many musicologists and anthropologists of the  Urhobo extract. This is capable of making his musical work go into extinction if his works are not reviewed and documented for reference purposes. Thus,  the paper contextually examined the influence of Ofua genre of music in relation to the Urhobo socio-cultural experience. The paper is hinged on  the ethnographic approach employed to enable the paper ex-tray Ofua's numerous Urhobo experiences through folklore and music. The paper found  that Ofua was a notable composer who produced thirty-five (35) Urhobo folk music albums with which he shared various aspects of the socio-cultural  experience of the Urhobo people. Also, his recorded music treasures the culture of the Urhobo, thereby sustaining the moral values contained in the  songs. Therefore, the paper recommends among others that composers/musicians should record their music to make it accessible to the public.