Yoruba traditional music and culture have been described as lasting legacies that must be guarded jealousy and transferred carefully from one generation to another.
A popular Yoruba iconic musician and Olori Obalufe of Ife, FloxyBee stated this in a recent interview granted PMParrot on the release of her latest work titled ‘Palongo Tolongo’ which has since hit the airwaves.
According to the Yeye Osun of Modakeke, the inspiration behind her songs stemmed from her experience on being a gender based campaigner and activist, noting that in the society, respect had become an issue that had been eroded and this has inherently made the society to be hypocritical and oppressed.
In her words, “people do not respect you for who you are again but rather for what they can get from you and mostly women fall into this category because they are cheated most of the time.
“To me, this is hypocritical. There is no love there, rather what we have is bondage and oppression”.
The traditional musician and music ambassador who prides herself as the Queen of Hikosso music maintained that her music is woven around the fight to emancipate the women folk.
She acknowledged that the African society especially Nigeria was patriarchal adding the there was nothing that could be done to reverse the trend but women and their feelings should be respected for positive change to be achieved?
“The tracks in my latest album capture it all. It talks about how the Yoruba civilization and identity should be preserved, respect for women and their emotional feelings, being mindful of our actions because they have consequences both positive and negative and also the need to revisit songs of yester years”.
The musician who holds the traditional title of Yeye Mokun, Yeye Mosa of Oba-Ile and Yeye Asa of Iyanfoworogi all in Osun state also hinted that upon conducting a survey amongst prominent Yoruba Obas, she was given a mandate to do whatever was in her power to ensure the survival of Yoruba tradition and culture through her works.
“I see this as a calling which has also received the blessings and royal endorsements from my fathers and I intend to do whatever it takes to advance the Yoruba civilization.
“I am a very traditional person and this mandate given me has further emboldened me not to relent and I know God and my husband, the Obalufe of Ife, HRM Oba Idowu Olaniyi Adediwura, Jamolaya 1 are solidly behind me and for that I am a very happy woman”.
“As part of my calling, I have also ventured into television and my programme ‘Yeye Asa’ will also be an avenue to carry out the royal assignment given me”, she added.
Packaged by Francis Ezediuno
