WORRIED by the decline in the popular Yoruba indigenous music, juju, three elders, Chief Taye Ayorinde, Ambassador Yemi Farounbi and High Chief Lekan Alabi, have teemed up to resuscitate the brand of music made popular by King Sunny Ade and Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey.
Speaking at a meeting with journalists at his Ekotedo, Ibadan office, Chief Ayorinde, said after the exploits of King Sunny Ade and Chief Ebenezer Obey, not much is happening with juju, “and I think this should give every Yoruba music lover cause for concern.
“When we look at how sakara and apala music went into extinction, then we have reason to be fearful.
“It is as a result of this that I decided to come up with how to go about resuscitating this genre of music,” Chief Ayorinde said.
In his submission, Ambassador Farounbi highlighted the need to master musical instruments and band management as one of the reasons the genre is no longer as popular as it used to be.
“When we look at artistes like Jide Ojo, Idowu Animashaun, Ebenezer Obey, King Sunny Ade, among other juju artistes, they are masters of musical instruments.
“King Sunny Ade and Ebenezer Obey are so perfect with their guitars, as well as the piano, and this is what makes their music thick.
“Juju is so technical and not every musician can find himself in the genre; however, with this project, we hope to encourage younger people to take to musical instruments so as to make it easy for them if they ever find themselves in music,” Ambassador Farounbi said.
For High Chief Alabi, it is important to make Music more popular in schools, as this would help develop children for careers in music.
“We should not allow juju to go into extinction like other Yoruba musical genres like sakara and apala,” High Chief Alabi said.