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| source: pinterest |
I.
Gbẹ̀dufication
/gbˌɛd͡ʒ.ʊˈfikeɪ.ʃən/— but like with a heavy Yoruba accent.
Definitions from X's Languages
noun
• the process of becoming gbẹ̀dufied i.e able to appreciate, understand and groove to gbedu.
"Agochukwu Excel has received a gbẹ̀dufication".
II
Gbẹ̀du
In the middle <or at the start, really> of making this blogpost, I got to learn that Gbẹ̀du is the name of a type of traditional drum used in ceremonial Yoruba music. I also got to learn that it is a drum that signifies royalty and in the past it was only brought out to be used for Kings to dance to.
Fast forward to now, Gbẹ̀du is what I like to refer to as any variant of afrobeat music you can dance to.
III
A Confession
I used to be one of those very annoying, "I don't listen to Nigerian Music" people. I know, I know, I feel ashamed of my past. I can imagine my ancestors tsk-ing and shaking their heads every time I said it.
I am no longer that person. I was young and did not know better.
In my previous blogpost I wrote about how the highlight of the last quarter of last year was how much I danced. A lot of the dancing was to gbẹ̀du.
Back then, I was anti-Nigerian music because:
- I did not know ball yet.
- A lot of the music was demonised in our very religious household. We used to call any song (usually the Nigerian ones) that were not church worthy, "satan songs".
- Foreign music appeared to be better appreciated and made you look cool, I used to think ours was a lot more razz.
III
Italawa Itolowo Ita Itolowo.
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| A Whatsapp message from Beckley. |
Last year, I caught the Ozeba fever. If anybody had told me I would be invested that deeply into Nigerian songs enough to sing along to lamba, I would have told them they were lying but here I am fully gbẹ̀dufied.
I'm not sure when the gbẹ̀dufication started. I think it started happening slowly before I became fully conscious of what was going on.
Perhaps after I discovered dancing as a method of escapism?? Or after my ears developed to their adult form? Or maybe it wasn't me? Maybe "Nigerian Music" changed? Became more refined? <highly doubt this one because I still listen to old gbẹ̀du and think they are fire>.
IV
The Future
Becoming gbẹ̀dufied is not the only evolution I have gone through as an individual. Just like Nigerian Music, I have identified different variations of my self, my sound, my language. There is clarity that comes with ageing and so far, I am getting to see that I am a multifaceted super star and there is no box I can fit in, no ceiling I cannot smash. It has been a long tedious road but I am learning to enjoy the becoming. I look forward to what Nigerian Music becomes in the future and I look forward to all the people I evolve into, the new people I'll get to meet and love dearly and all the places I'll go in my own future.
V
On Miracles
I did not always like Nigerian Music but I have always loved music. From sneaking around to watch MTV Base on Silverbird Television from 5:30pm-7:00pm, to lending my older cousins' ipods just to listen to music, I did everything a kid could do to get access to it.
Speaking of iPods, there was a time when I'd offer a leg and an arm just to get one because of how much I loved listening to music. I never did get one at the time when it was all over the place but now, I own a smartphone and subscription to different music streaming platforms that I can use to listen to as much music as I possibly can.
I count it as a miracle the way that there was a time when what I wanted the most in this world was to be able to listen to any kind of music whenever I wanted and now I am able to. It is one of those miracles that sneak up on you the way the sun comes up every other morning— slowly, in a way that you don't notice the darkness leaving.
interlude
I don't mean to go all preachy but I think there's a lesson there in how everything has its time and if you hold on long enough, all the things you want will come to you.
There are so many things that I want almost as badly as I wanted those iPods many years ago but I recognize the season of life that I am in and while I hope for the things I want, I'll make do with the things I do have while I grow.
I recognize that patience is a miracle because it is in the waiting that all the growing and building happens.
Okay, enough of the preaching.
.
I am grateful for the miracle of the existence of music and how it brings us all together, how melodies carry stories, how they can be so imbued with emotions, they evoke same from us, how it preserves our memories. I am grateful to be able to enjoy the gift of music, to dance to it (as terrible as my dancing may be), to talk about singers or songs I like, to be able to write about it on my blog.
VI
'GROWNUPIFICATION' <a variant of Jolla's "grownupicity">
To Jesus be my glory, I will be a year older tomorrow— depending on when you are reading this. I'm turning a serious age, omg.
I was going to say that my theme for this year will be "grownupification" because I am all grown now and I should conduct my life in such manner.
To be grownupified <another definition from X dictionary> is to be a lot more serious with my life, more disciplined with time and money, more organised, more courageous, more open to difficult conversations, less fearful, less quiet about the things I'm not comfortable with, to be fully aware of my strengtgs and shortcomings and navigate the world making the best out of that knowledge etc etc but I am scared that if I become too grown, I would lose the ability to see magic in the mundane like Victory wrote about in this article.
I want to be grownupified just the right amount. Enough to preserve my joyful side. The side of me that laughs a lot and is silly from time to time and is able to have a lot of fun and likes to dance and loves hard and has monstrous faith that everything good is coming to stay.
I think a better theme would be "finding balance"? As in finding balance between being a proper grownupified adult and remaining a chill baby girl that likes to have fun and gets excited over the smallest things like mangoes and sunsets and album releases?
I'll figure it out eventually.
In the meantime, happy birthday to meeeeeee! (Well in advance while I'm writing this anyway, hehe).
Wish me a happy birthday in the comments anddd support my blog here !
OK tnx byeeee!
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