I deliberately choose the topic of this post to be in Yoruba for further emphasis. The phrase simply means the sweetness of ones sojourn abroad can never replace the nostalgic feelings about home. ( I hope I got it right, I think I need a better Yoruba speaker to help me here).
If I want to really boost my nostalgia, I listen to Lagbaja. His music takes me away from Chingford to my mother’s village in Oke-Ogun. Whenever I choose to remember the folklore stories of ijapa (Tortoise), nayinbo and other characters that used to animate my mind on the raffia mat under the lulling eye of the moonlight while listening to Mama Ile-Balogun (my grandmother), I conjure the songs of the masked-one. Whenever, I’m really tired of the London street lights blocking my view of the stars which I used to conveniently count while eating akara and eko prepared by mama, I call on Omo baba mukomuko to take me to the Motherland.
Bisade Ologunde, the man behind the mask of Lagbaja is my favourite Nigerian musician. His creativity with the Yoruba language in his music can only be compared to that of Wole Soyinka in his literatures. Early this week, while listening to Eko ti mo wa, I fought back tears. It reminds me of how far I’m from home and how much I miss those things I take for granted while in Nigeria. Today, I stumbled on the website of another similar artist I really appreciate, Beautiful Nubia. I couldn’t resist singing his song out loud in this library……….Jangbalajugbu
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