The Music Of Wole Soyinka
Sonala Olumhense
I join millions of Nigerians in wishing Professor Wole Soyinka a happy 70th birthday anniversary. Many probably do not know that he is also a songwriter. In the early 1980's, he produced a two-song album in pidgin English that extended the frontiers of the writer's politics. Twenty years later, the album, whose title I forget, sounds brand new. Through the powerful voice of Tunji Oyelana, here are some of the lyrics from Side One.
I love my country, I no go lie, na inside am I go live and die. I know my country, I no go lie, na him and me go yap till I die.
I want begin with History, that war we fight in recent memory,
When music when come from barrel of gun, was "we must keep the nation one,"
Me, I think I get cancer for my eye, I dey see double for me eye
Cos when I look na two I see, make I explain, I think you go gree...
Make you no worry, both nations be friend; even when they fight, they make amends,
When one back dey itch, the other go scratch; when one lay egg, the other go hatch
Eggs na eggs, but some are rotten; but make I tell you, some are golden
I tell you my country no be one, I mean no be yesterday I born,
One so proud, the other so meek, one go hide the other go seek,
One go slap, the other turn cheek, and soon they're playing Hide and Seek
They're lovely twins, of whom I speak, Mr. Country Hide and his brother Seek
Country Hide 2.8 billion, tell Country Seek, "Brother, carry on,"
Seek from Turkey to the China Sea, the more you look, the less you see
You thief one kobo dem put you for prison, you thief 10 million na patriotism
Dem give you chieftaincy and National Honour, you thief even bigger, dat na rumour
A bottomless hole is a mighty creation, in every corner of our lovely nation
Choose your project, give am a name; construction/destruction, its all the same,
As for Abuja, billions dey roll, and vanish forever in the capital hole.
The water tap is free to pour, or take vacation for a month of more
Electricity supply na part time vocation, for one day show is a month vacation
But one man's curse na another's blessing, someday Country Seek go learn him lesson
While him dey cook by the light of the moon, Country Hide don turn Generator Tycoon...
One morning time I wake for my bed, the radio say, I sick for my head
Make I talk true, the thing when he mention, na something called ethical revolution
Ethical revo-kini
Ethical revolution
Ethical revo-how much
Ethical revolution
(Oh, make I take snuff small, make I clear my head, e be like I still dey asleep for my bed)
Ethical revo-wetin
Ethical revolution
Ethical revo-what
Ethical revolution
Tiko-tiko-tiko wetin
Ethical revolution
(Oh make I drink garri small make my stomach swell, when man belly blank, he no fit hear well) Ethical revo-how
Ethical revolution
Revo-revo-revo wetin
Ethical revolution
Roforofo revo-wetin
Ethical revolution
Yamma-yamma revo-wetin...
Ethical revo-haba
Me I go revo dem head-o!
Ethical revolution
Corner-corner revo-what
Ethical revolution
(Na thief carry him load, na him call policeman; na who ban imported, na who break the ban) Ethical revo-what
Ethical revolution
Ethical chop-chop (Ethike-ethike...)
Ethike...Mercedes!
Ethike...champagne!
Ethike...millionaire!
Ethike...private jet!
Ethike...Swiss account!
Ethike...conconbility!
Ethike...wetin
Ethike (hiss, laugh...)
Ethike...tiro!
Dem wan rob church, dem call prayer meeting; when all eyes close, dem do their thing
Dem say no licence, but who dey smuggle, whose belly dey burst while we dey struggle,
Na who loot the nation, na who dey shed crocodile tears
When dem shoot poor farmer for Bakolori Dam, Mr. Crocodile tears he don give a damn,
Country Seek, my brother, leave corner side, don't let them take you for another ride
Etike tike tiro...DROP DEAD!
On the flip side, Soyinka and Oyelana focused on the general elections of 1983. If you were not born in 1983, however, the album is proof that you have not missed much. Here are a few words from it:
Chairman, wetin you dey do for home, we think say, you still dey oversea
Ah, I forget, its getting near the time, for a meeting of all the shareholders
Chairman, you sabi waka o, we look for you, from Tokyo to New York
For Bulgaria, dem say you just comot; your executive jet pass us for Argentina
Chairman, dis meeting go hot o, your directors don chop all we money,
When you dey shake hands with kings and Presidents,
Your business partners don shake we treasury loose
Each time dem sneeze, millions of Naira go scatter,
When dem snore, the bank itself go shake
Mobilization fee, is the order of the day,
The contractor collect, take we money run away.
My eye see wonder, the other day for Yola,
When your directors meet for society wedding
Private jets and helicopter na the fashion
Mercedes na dash for their favourite singer
Forty aeroplanes, all private, fly in the guests
Each director and wife spray at least 20,000
When money finish, at midnight dem open the bank
For brand new Naira to continue the lovely spray
I never tell you the tori of London airport,
When the Customs grab your company director
Six million Naira, dem find inside him briefcase,
Crisp and new straight from our Naira mint
"Your Excellency," to give am him proper title,
"You be mobile bank, or Nigerian mint in transit"
Your director laugh, he laugh he nearly collapse
He say, "white boy, make you no waste my time.
For this small portmanteau, na him you dey open your mouth
Na ship containers others dey take load cash! London or Frankfurt dey give us foreign exchange. They love our Naira, so wetin be your concern When we don do our shopping, to satisfy our status, minor luxuries like private jets; the same Naira, at double devaluation, returns by container to where it started from!"
Chairman, what of iron and steel, when you tell us, say big profit go comot
2.1 billion na him you spend so far, e don vanish for inside Kainji dam
How many billins you spend to clear the bush, when you say you want grow food for chop
Soil erosion na him alone to grow
Common farmer do better on him own.
How many many I go talk oh, how many many I fit shout oh
What of that 2.8 billion, when you take play hide and seek oh
Make you take yourself comot, unless you give my share of 2.8...
(Dialogue):
"Mr. Chairman, I'm thinking of sending our Secretary for Agriculture to hold discussions with you over this present food shortage."
"What food shortage"
"Its in all the papers, and even we feel the effect of it when we go to the market. Hardly anything to buy, and what there is to buy costs the earth."
"There is no food shortage. Its all political propaganda. I ask you, have you seen anyone looking in the dustbin for food"
"Well"
"There you are! What more proof do you need Tell your people my company is firmly in control. There is absolutely no food shortage."
"Mr. Chairman, are you asking me to disbelieve the evidence of my eyes"
"On the contrary, Mr. Ambassador, I am asking you to use your eyes. Haba, Mallam, look at me, just look at me. Look at my cheeks. Are they not robust Do they not look rosy What more proof do you want All the members of our company have cheeks exactly like mine: robust!"
These are only clips from Soyinka's remarkable musical effort before he was 50, during the Shehu Shagari presidency. Since then, Nigeria has had five leaders and an avalanche of state governors and plans and projects and budgets. As everyone knows, however, nothing but the property profiles of those who rule Nigeria - and their families and friends -- has changed. My birthday request to Professor Soyinka is that he sees to the reprint of this album. Younger Nigeria deserves to know our nation's best-kept secret: the past which is routinely, tragically and cleverly disguised as the future. If they do not know their future, they cannot celebrate their past.
Of your work of art, I hereby place an advance order for 100 copies. Fifty of them will go to the lucky people to whom President Olusegun Obasanjo is awarding N600 million not to provide clean water - or food, or scholarships, or public bathrooms, or safe highways, or clean streets, or medicines - but to make Nigeria appear good. 'Country Hide' calls it the Nigeria Image Project. "Carry on, Country Seek!"
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