Mr Dahunsi Mayowa is a church minister and the brains behind Praise Dimension Music band. In this interview with FUNMILAYO AREMU and ADEOLA OTEMADE, he speaks on the essentialities of different areas of ministerial callings and the role of gospel musicians in the church.
You are a cleric and a gospel musician, how have you been able to manage the two?
Man was created for a purpose and in view of life’s purpose, there are some you discover along the line and there some that you grow up with. In my case, I have been on it for a very long time, but I never gave attention to it until the last six years. So, the two have been going together because while I was in school, in our fellowship, I was part of the choir and this has been of great help. Concerning my calling as a cleric, we have been able to combine all because being in church gives room for development in different areas.
Do you have any regrets that you made that decision so late?
Yes, to some extent but at the same time, I won’t say it is a regret because I believe everything is working according to God’s timing.
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So, how have you been able to fast-track the journey to meet up with your peers in the gospel music industry?
I don’t see any problem in that because right from the beginning it was not a kind of total left over; it was just that I didn’t give it full attention until that time because of the way things were going. What prompted me to go fully into music was that one night, I slept, and God said to me that whatever gift is given to any man is to be used for his glory and if he decided not to use it, he should remember that there is no man that cannot be replaced. Three days after, a mentor called me and reminded me that there is nobody that God does not have replacement for. I then realised that it was a confirmation of what I heard myself. That was how we started, because the man himself is in the music line; so the platform had been created and we just jumped on the platform. It has been good because the journey has become that of fulfilment for me.
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There is a claim that a pastor is not complete without having the gift of music; is that true?
I won’t subscribe to that in the sense that the Bible established that there are diverse kinds of gifts. To some it is evangelism; to some teaching; to some prayer; but it is of advantage when you are gifted a little in all of the aspects. But know that all the gifts can come to a man depending on how eager you are to have them because they will come one after the other. If you are good in evangelism, there is no way you will not become a teacher. By the time you are teaching or evangelising, you will give more attention to prayer. By that, you become a prayer person; there is no way songs won’t come to you. Someone else might help you to sing it in a better way, but the inspiration will come.
There are lots of gospel artistes whom did not study theology but claim to be evangelists. Is this normal?
There are lots of people who are not in the academic sector that are called professors. I might choose to be called by any name and people will accept me for that by the reason of the character that I portray. That is why the Bible says let the two grow together, when the time of harvest comes, we will separate the chaff from the wheat.
There is a notion now that the reason most church leaders invite popular music ministers to crusades is to pull crowds and not to win souls. Why is it so?
You know, music itself is something that no one can explore the depths of due to the spirit that God has put into it. That is why all kinds of music attracts its listeners and for the gospel to reach out to a wider audience. Why do you think we go to radio stations to publicise our programmes? Just to bring in more crowd. A programme of seven days might be because of one singular person; so, they have seen music as a way to bring in people and have the conviction to come to the Lord and be saved. So, it is just a strategy.
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