Madame Comfort Omoge - RIP
beadlejp...@ameritech.net.invalid
Friday, 19 November 1999
THe best song for Comfort Omoge
Sound and Screen
By Benson Idonije
THE remains of Comfort Omoge, the great exponent of Ashiko music
who died last August 28, will be laid to rest tomorrow at her home
town, Igbogida, in Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State.
For taking the traditional Ikale cultural music idiom to
international prominence, her burial will be attended by, among
others, musicians from all over the country. They will all be there
to pay their last respects to a worthy and deserving musician.
But while they do this, what should be uppermost in their minds
should be how to carry on the musical, cultural crusade that Omoge
represented and established while she lived. The greatest respect
that can be paid to the queen of African music is the perpetuation
of Ashiko by young musicians who, in their desire to promote
authentic Nigerian music, should now begin to draw from her
tremendous talent in terms of the legacy Omoge has left behind.
The greatest honour that can be done to Omoge is for disciples to
emerge and immortalise her name through various musical approaches
all predicated on Ashiko as the source and inspiration. Omoge was a
milestone for the advancement of the folkloric tradition of music
in Nigeria.
From reliable sources, Omoge recorded a total of 60 albums
throughout her career which began in 1973 with the release of
Orogen rogen, her debut, which was a big smash. And encouraged by
her husband, Oba Adun Omoge, the Oba Gerumure of Igbogida,
Okitipupa who died in 1995, she waded through the turbulent music
scene, waxing stronger with every release.
A fulfilled musician, Omoge's music competed with the late Afrobeat
legend, Fela's works on the foreign airwaves as authentic music
from Africa. She won several awards, among them, Best Traditional
Musician of the Performing Musicians Employers Association of
Nigeria (PMEAN) in 1991 when Chief Tony Okoroji was at the helm of
affairs.
From the beginning of her career as a musician, she immediately
became a public figure among her people. She was always busy
playing prominent roles in the promotion of traditional music.
Hardly any cultural event took place without her involvement and
participation.
Like most of the traditional music forms of Nigeria, Ashiko would
by now have been forgotten and buried in the debris of history but
for Omoge who lifted it from its basic setting and identifies it
with contemporary times. And in doing so, she did not employ
western instruments. Not even the guitar which is a common
instrument for westernising indigenous musical forms. But she kept
the instrumentation within the same percussive setting and gave
melodic feeling to folklores with the call-and-response pattern
which is characteristic of African music.
Before she passed on, Omoge's popularity would have assumed full
international dimension. Her music should have received wider
recognition, but lack of encouragement from recording companies who
preferred to dissipate their energy on imitative foreign music
idioms for commercial reasons, slowed her down.
Specifically, Omoge pitched her tent with Decca Records which did
not seem to appreciate her type of music that needed development
for wider recognition. She had no proper management and Decca did
not assign any special producer for the purpose of developing her
music and monitoring her progress. She was left to her own designs,
and operated within the limits of her own creative possibilities.
Producer Odion Iruoje was at Decca during her recording stint with
the company. Even though he did not produce her, he saw a lot of
potential in Omoge's music, especially in terms of its Africanness
and authenticity. He recommended her for a better deal.
"I worked with Comfort Omoge around 1979. At the time I came to
Decca, she was complaining about poor treatment along with the
likes of Dan Satch and Sir Warrior. I helped to restore her
confidence in the company. I recommended that her royalty be
increased". Commenting on the authenticity of Omoge's traditional
music style, Odion said, "she was growing up but the music did not
grow with her. She was the authentic exponent of Ashiko. She had
the basic rhythm of the music".
However, Omoge's music has several striking qualities to recommend
it for general acceptance. Adherents, in terms of disciples, who
may wish to exploit the music for its perpetuation especially, need
to appreciate these qualities.
Omoge's singing style, which was dominated by her solo voice, had
become sufficiently tested over three decades of live concerts and
studio recordings, and was found qualitatively pleasant to listen
to. Omoge, from the legacy she has left behind in her recordings,
does not dabble into irrelevant lines for extra flourish in the
name of improvisation. Not influenced by western music forms, she
is thematic and keeps her singing within the limits of the melodic
frame. More importantly, Omoge expresses herself with a clarity
that conveys easily understandable meaning.
Throughout her musical career, Omoge operated with an accompaniment
that did not in anyway overstate its percussive effects with
intricate rhythmic patterns. All the instruments, which were local
and indigenous, were very well co-ordinated. They were used
effectively for the cohesion of the entire ensemble. No matter what
material she sang, no matter what approach the band gave to the
treatment of her various folkloric offerings, there was a definite
and pronounced identification with her roots, the roots of the
cultural Asiko of the Ikale - Ilaje people.
Tributes came from various people upon Omoge's death last August,
but about the most striking one came from Ben Tomoloju, playwright,
theatre director, music composer and performer, and culture
communicator. His words:
"One should really express a very deep sense of grief that Madam
Comfort Omoge is no more. But also, one should say that she was the
missioner for Nigerian folklore in the dimension that the late
Mamman Shata and maestros like Dan Maraya Jos, Hajia Lolo of Bida
and Madam Mary Kanu of the Igbo segment, have accomplished their
missions for the Nigerian folklore in the various sub-cultural
groupings."
Reverred among her numerous albums are Omoge gba award, Irore re yi
ran, Kaiye madamu wa, Eni Odun joba keyo, Eni lobe ko jeba. In all
of these records, Omoge has left behind a musical culture that is
unique. With her performance of Asiko, she has demonstrated that
African music can attract profound appeal without the use of
western instruments, a fact which should begin to challenge our
musicians. Besides, her music is a source of inspiration to the
youths who generally believe that the only way to survive in the
industry is to play imitative foreign music.
Another truth that has arisen from Omoge's example is the fact that
indigenous music can be popular in chart terms and that this
popularity can take its root from the villages, not necessarily
from the city.
Omoge was an advocate of tradition, a trait which was exhibited in
her rootsy, down-to-earth singing. To her, cultural heritage was
precious and could not be compromised for the imitation of foreign
idioms. She had a special interest in the youths and she reminded
them of their responsibilities to the society. She sang about
politics, the economy, current affairs, among others, but in doing
so, her approach was that of exhortation, advice, prayer and moral
rectitude as she drew inspiration from the folkloric realm.
Comfort Omoge, the queen of African, music is dead but her music
should be made to live on for ever. Asiko should not die.
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