Why Nigerians Should Embrace Folklore Music, By Jimi Solanke

Nigerian Folklore Musician, Jimi Solanke, says he is currently carrying out a project, training Nigerians to be folklore musicians, to enliven that genre of music.

According to Solanke, said the training was ongoing in his native hometown, Ibudo Asa, in Ogun State.

“I am training Nigerians to be folklore musicians, because I do not want that genre of music to die; am not going to be here forever. So, I want to leave a part of me behind.

“Part of the curriculum is to train children as early as five years to express themselves through folklore so that we can have plenty of Jimi Solanke.

“Folklore music is more lucrative now than when I started; then, people pay N100 to watch per episode, but now it is a different thing.

“To attest to the fact that folklore music is more lucrative now, recently, a particular local record label paid me royalty for one of my tracks done in 1979,” he said.

Solanke said this was necessary as the genre of music had not only become lucrative, but capable of instilling morals in children and adults.

According to him, folklore music is usually embedded with proverbs, witty sayings, myth and all which African culture represents as well as the culture of storytelling.

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Solanke, who had produced 14 albums so far, attributed his sound health to the fact that he does what he enjoyed doing as a folklore musician.

“I enjoy my health because of this music I do; I love it and I enjoy doing it.

“To be a folklorist, you will be a forever artiste, because such music lives forever; they are evergreen and this is the aspect of our culture the international tourists want to see,” he said.

Solanke advised Nigerians to study and imbibe some attributes of folklorists like storytelling, folktales, folksong, among others, because they are therapeutic.