The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi was at the centre of the storm before and after the installation of the fuji musician, Wasiu Ayinde as Mayegun of Yoruba land. Having followed the diatribe occasioned by the event, Oba Adeyemi speaks with TUNDE BUSARI on the choice of Ayinde among other related issues, especially the Akesan Market inferno.
You would agree with me that your choice of a musician for Mayegun title has earned you some negative remarks. Can you share what really made the musician your most appropriate person for that sensitive title?
Public reactions generated by the chieftaincy title have shown limitation of human knowledge on some issues. I have said it with a strong emphasis that there is total professionalism in artisanship especially music. It is very erroneous to see the act of singing as a mere activity pursued as pastime. No, music is more than that, and I challenge anyone to a debate on this. In Yoruba land, our contributions to the entertainment industry in Nigeria cannot be rivaled by any other ethnic group. I am saying this with every sense of authority as one who witnessed and studied the industry from the 60s till date. There was a period of travelling theatres when artistes would leave their families for about four or five months and tour different towns and communities to stage shows. You needed to see what they passed through, in terms of challenges based on the low level of development then. Their vehicles would break down and they would spend days in the bush to fix the vehicles.
With this understanding of the theatre people, how would you translate it to musicians?
I am talking of entertainment generally, and music is inclusive. Look, a good musician sets himself to an audience target and achieves that target through good composition and broad mental disposition to select his words with appropriate music lyrics that will excite the audience. There used to be this superstitious belief that it was only spirits that composed music for artistes and dictates to them in the middle of the night. The only meaningful translation that could be given to that is that musicians were super humans based on their imaginative and oratory capacity. Even in the world of spirits often referred to, the spirits could not work with those who lacked intellectual sagacity.
Musicians are a part of the estate of the realm because of their significant functions to the society. Let me give you an example in Oyo here.
Can you refresh our memories with your choice of Sunny Ade as king of Juju music?
I have said that I am a music freak. It does not matter whether your music appeals to me. I must listen and do some analysis of the content, the lyrics and sound produced. King Sunday was hot, extremely hot when I crowned him. To make the title more acceptable, the media was involved. The late Olutade Makinde, the entertainment writer of high repute, of the Sketch newspapers coordinated the selection which tallied with my judgment. Don’t forget that I also made Salawa Abeni, Waka Queen also based on my judgment of where she had taken her music career which she started as a teenager in the early 70s. The Yoruba race is specifically gifted in music that follows rhythm with educative oratory above any other black and indeed human race. I am saying it again with every sense of authority that Wasiu Ayinde fulfilled the standard of a great musician with his history characterised by perseverance, persistence and preservation of timeless lyrics. He keeps developing his music to attract fans beyond the shores of Nigeria. I closely studied him for more than 30 years before I came to the conclusion that he deserved to be so honoured.
Perhaps the reactions would not have been that intense if the title was the Mayegun of Oyo, not Yorubaland. Don’t you see it that way?
What does the Bible say in that context? It laments that my people perish because they lack knowledge. This is my worry for the new generation. You don’t seek knowledge. You are only comfortable holding on to information you wish you hear when you should take some steps to do more findings to establish the truth or otherwise of the information. Unfortunately, with the social media now, everybody is a reporter spreading half-truth and outright falsehood to the docile section of the reading public. With regards to the status of Yoruba Obas in conferring titles on Yoruba land, there is no dispute that historically the Alaafin stands tall in that assignment. Again, I am saying this with every sense of authority that the Alaafin reserves the power to confer a title which covers the whole of Yorubaland.
Do you think this will go down well with other towns?
You must assume that I need to impress the public about my action. No. As long as what I do has indisputable merits, I have nothing to worry about.
Given the closeness of the date of the ceremony to the unfortunate fire which gutted the Akesan market, some thought you should have postponed the occasion. What would you say to this thought?
Should I tell you the truth? Such a thought is a demonstration of ignorance. I want to first of all thank God that no life was lost in the inferno. I also want to thank God for the response we got by well-meaning people, including the Oyo State government. The governor had to rush back home from his trip; he came down here to commiserate with us. While coming here, you must have seen what the place has been turned into within a short time. That response by the state government has brought relief to me because I was thinking of the fate of the future of that place. On the question that the ceremony should have been postponed, I don’t think I need to dissipate energy in answering such question. Did those people know what would have been the cost of postponing the ceremony? Did they even come to Oyo to know that our hotels were fully booked for the occasion? Did they come down to know the effects of the ceremony on economic activities in the town? We thank God that we held the ceremony as we had scheduled it, and it was a success which the whole world saw.
The Akesan Market incident made your palace a Mecca of sort for all politicians.
There is nothing to say than to thank them for deeming it fit to come and commiserate with me. That is political maturity which I always preach. They were in government yesterday and did their best. Governance is a continuum. I don’t see anything wrong in all of them coming to identify with me over that unfortunate incident. If anyone now reads a political meaning to it, well, politicians must always look for ways of making statements and making themselves known because politics is about visibility. I appreciate all who came to commiserate with us over the incident.
Your 49th coronation anniversary held the following day and also witnessed a sizeable attendance. What was your impression despite that it was meant to be low-keyed?
There is nothing about it than it was the Alaafin’s occasion. Have you witnessed any of the Alaafin’s event which would record empty seats? It never happened, and it won’t happen in my lifetime. The Alaafin is an institution which is saddled with the responsibility of promoting Yoruba culture and tradition. If there is anyone or any group not comfortable with that status, well, there is nothing such person or group can do about it. The history of Yorubaland cannot be rewritten. Our history is there as a reference to scholarly works. I won’t say anything or defend anything without having enough references to back my claims. Unfortunately, my recent observation is that we have too many armchair analysts who don’t know that they don’t know but go about claiming they know what they don’t know and cause confusion in the society.