Sonorous lyrics of an outlier

An app containing 100 songs of playwrightand director, Ben Tomoloju, was unveiled to critical acclaim last weekend.

Multi-talented artist, Benson Omowafola Tomoloju, affirmed his rating as an outlier on Saturday, August 29 when he did what no one had ever done before in Nigeria.In one fell swoop, the playwright, director, producer, mentor, writer and former Deputy Editor of The Guardian unveiled 100 songs. And the clincher? It was for the giveaway price of N1000.

It was a bubbly party on Zoomdom (Zoom) as Concrete Communications Studios, unveiled the app containing all the songs with guests from all corners of the earth in attendance. All the interested listener needs to download the masterpieces by the versatile artist, also known as Ben T or Pappy Ben, from Google Playstore,  is a token N1000.

The event, in truth, was a well-deserved celebration of Ben T, moulder of lives and mentors of many in the performing and visual arts as well as journalism. One of his numerous mentees and a member of Kakaaki, a performance group that Tomoloju founded in 1980 while a school teacher, Jahman Anikulapo, moderated the session.

Executive Producer and CEO, Concrete Communications, Semoore Badejo, who worked on the project alongside RopoEwenla and Anikulapo, gave its brief history after the opening formalities.

Himself and Ewenla were trying to generate publicity for the studio and being a lover of Tomoloju’s ‘Aja Kubo’, written for the play ‘Jankariwo’, they made a cover and sent to the artist for comments.

“He reverted with volumes of comments so we said the owner must come to do his thing. We felt he had done a lot and that we needed to document him. Some people don’t know him as a singer, and we thought we should showcase this icon. The first challenge was hoping he would agree, but when we told him, he said he would pray over it. He did and later got back to us. When we started, we were the ones running after him because of his pace. He composed and voiced all the songs. Here is an excellent product for you,” Badejo disclosed.

On the choice of an app for the songs instead of the conventional CD, the CEO of Concrete Communications, said they wanted to “make Ben T a citizen of the world without leaving Nigeria.” They aspired for a global audience and were able to launch it on Google play store.

Badejo also explained the N1000 cost to download the app. “Our mission is to get across to the world. We would rather reach out to millions of people than a few thousand. The app is mobile literature; it comes with lyrics and the inspiration behind each of the songs. You can gift people this app. It is not on i-phone yet, but it would soon be in about three to four weeks.”

Also speaking, the producer, Ewenla, said 100 songs of Ben T wasn’t an ordinary project. “We conceived it as a means of expanding our collective memory. There’s a tendency not to archive our products. Still, we hope this project will expand folkloric knowledge we can bestow to our children. This project is beyond music and art. It’s history, and we have not even scratched the surface. It’s cultural evangelism, and this is just the beginning.”

 

Anikulapo said the project’s essence was adequately documenting Ben T’s rich repertoire that other artists, the Kegites Club and white garment churches have since appropriated.

In his initial remarks, the playwright and director, acknowledged his younger colleagues for the honour given to him through the exciting music project. He also expressed delight. “It’s exciting for me to go back in time and scoop out some of my old works. Not only scoop them out but process them into some exciting form of music. Music that I call eclectic. Why 100 songs, you may wonder? I want to be empathetic to students who come to my house or theatre base to make me sing directly to them when they wanted to do my theatre productions. They travel from all corners of the country. Now, they can have these songs. They are songs from about six or seven plays of mine.”

The songs, like the former Deputy Editor of The Guardian noted, were an eclectic mix. Theatre, gospel, reggae, folk and gyration. Some of the songs, he continued, were composed for “my students as a form of cultural pedagogy in the educational process. This was at Saka Tinubu Memorial High School, where I started as a teacher. Some of these songs came from when I was teaching, and I used them to minimise tedium that literature was for students in those days.”

Ben also touched on the popularity of his songs and how some people who don’t know their roots assume that they are folksongs. He further clarified that he wasn’t angry with the Kegites Club for adopting the Kakaaki anthem. “I can’t be angry; I was ‘Fellowrised’ at Unilag,” he said, adding that he does music “for love, not for any special honours.”

Recollections of Pappy Ben’s impacts on their lives by participants further enlivened the unveiling, with each speaker highlighting a peculiarity of the honouree. Veteran filmmaker, Tunde Kelani; CORA Secretary-General, Toyin Akinosho; Prof Duro Oni, Teju Kareem, Lilian Agbeyegbe, US-based scholars, Akin Adesokan and Kole Ade-Odutola; formers arts journalist, LayiAdeniji; Arts Editor of The Nation, OzoluaUhakheme; writer and editor, Molara Wood; Lookman Sanusi and former members of Kakaaki – Tomi Ogunjobi, Funmi Ajamofua, Akeem Anishere and Kayode Tomoloju- all either commended Ben T’s total commitment to the arts or posed questions to him.

Three reviewers also shared their observations about the songs during the unveiling. Pianist and composer, Ayo Bankole Jnr’s said: “What you’ve done is remarkable; 100 songs at once is much. This collection is awesome. It’s almost a crime that you are giving it out so cheaply. The songs are multi-dimensional, their appeal is beyond just the lyrics. One can look at the songs and redo as Ras Kimono did with ‘Aja Kubo.’ I’m happy that you have taken time to catalogue a few, but I’m horrified by the cheap price. You listen to the songs and engage with them on several levels.”

Ewenla read DafeIvwurie’s short review. “This Hundred Songs of Ben Tomoloju ensures that the consummate thespian gets due and appropriate recognition for ‘Aja Kubo’ and many other original songs,” he began.

“In general, the collections of songs are soothing, calming, sometimes prayerful and contemplative. Strongly recommended for your quiet time when you need the muse to visit. If you drive in Lagos traffic, or any other traffic in any other crazy city of the world, download the app, and you have a soulful companion,” Ivwurie added.

Former Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Steve Ayorinde, who also worked under Tomoloju at The Guardian was the final reviewer. He began: “This is a brilliant one from our boss.100 songs in a single compilation is the first in Nigeria. It deserves all the commendation, all the accolades that we can give and not just for the project alone but also the man in whose honour it has been done.”

Ayorinde further recommended that the project should further be broken down while also making a case for cross-generational collaborations to popularise the songs.”Distil the project; work towards it dominating the air space using social media and digital technology. You can’t upload 100 songs to Boomplay at once. What’s been done for Ben T means he can enjoy the benefit of his labour.

“Let’s celebrate this as the first part of what we should do with this compilation. The second part will be how to milk it; how to sell to the world, and the world includes the younger generation—the 15 to 25 age group. I want to see collaboration with a Burna Boy, Wizkid and Davido. We should break the compilation down to bits; break it down into 10s and 20s. I would love to see a collaboration with Yinka Davies, Tiwa Savage. Don’t let’s restrict him to those who know him; sell him to other generations. We should make the songs available to the younger generation.”

Responding to some of the other questions posed to him by commentators, Ben gave more insight into his liberal, creative worldview.

He disclosed that he would rest easy now that he has fully utilised the gifts God deposited in him. “Suppose I was at heaven’s gate and that angel says what did you do with the talent God has given you? I felt I could not plead innocence, so I was praying that this work should be effectively disseminated.”

Ben clarified that he and Ras Kimono resolved the copyright issue between them over ‘Aja Kubo’ before the reggae artist passed.

His most fervent wish, he told the gathering is “that my songs become more successful for young people to experiment, to innovate upon. It’s almost canonical in literary criticism, courtesy TS Elliot; you do not create anything outside of tradition. There’s always a tradition for you to tap. If mine becomes a baseline of tradition, let these young people feed on it and also advance their aesthetics.”

Pappy Ben also touched on the importance of documentation just as he reiterated his mission with music. “It is not just to release songs but to moralise and philosophise; enlighten and motivate people. That’s why my songs may not be comparable with what people are singing now.”

 

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