The significance of documenting the traditional music of Oru-Owere festival of the Owerri people

Abstract

Music has always been an indispensable art in human existence. Music making is not simply an exercise in the organization of sound; it is a symbolic expression of social and cultural body reflecting its history and values. The organization of sounds into music varies from one culture to another. This is because each culture has its own collective or individual experiences, ideas and environment. Music is central to the cultural practices of the people. It is a source of pleasure, recreation and entertainment to all, especially the core Owere Nchi-Ise when marking their Oru-Owere festival. The Oru-Owere festival is organized to mark and commemorate the evolution and the founding fathers of Owerri Nchi-Ise community. With music, the emotions, attitudes and thoughts of the Owerri people are aroused. Recordings and documentation of the music performed during Oru-Owere festival can bring about deeper reflections for both the performer and the listener. Documentation helps to tell the narrative for decisions made, and how individuals or the audience responded to different situations. This paper, therefore, examined the significance of documenting and archiving the traditional music of Oru-Owere festival of Owerri people in Imo State. The study employed musicological, sociological, historical and anthropological tools which included participant observation, bibliographic methods and interviewed. The paper concluded by stating that documenting the music that featured during the Oru-Owere festival would act as the store of organized communal knowledge which can be accessed by anyone in time of need.