By Jarlath Uche Opara
Nigerians with their predilection to copy and imitate wholesale without editing is mind-boggling.
So wired, having a crazy desire for trending things without sitting back to sieve.
Since this “Gwo Gwo Ngwo” challenge dance, I have seen a lot of people coming up with many versions of it, adding and removing to create a niche for themselves.
If this song were to be human with the gift of speech, it would have spoken out in frustration, demanding we cut some slack for it and look for other songs and make them popular.
We have other amazing artists. Who can make their songs go viral? Onyeka Onwenu is gone! Once, out of someone’s creativity, any of her songs begin to trend, the “Gwo Gwo Ngwo” dance will become obsolete, taking a back seat, while the mob madness of imitation is channeled instantly to that new song.
That is how Nigerians roll. We latch on ready-made meals and feed more than the chef. Wired to behave like an “anywhere belle faced” species. Always following bandwagons, getting consumed with frenzy in trending things?
My worry, however, is centered on the possible infiltration of the song into our churches’ liturgical songs one day, as our priests have joined in the “Gwo Gwo Ngwo” dance challenge.
Severally, I have listened to songs that made no liturgical sense rendered in the church, and many danced to them regardless.
Some of these songs are imported from the Pentecostal space and adopted into Catholic liturgical worship.
It is not that the Catholic Church is depleted of rich, inspiring, soul-lifting songs. No! The church is replete with amazing songs, with both lyrics and rhythm that would bring healing to souls.
The question then is, why is our choir this gullible with strange songs, though with danceable rhythm but with lyrics that are not liturgical?
This morning, I stumbled on a video clip of a choir making a wonderful rendition of the “Gwo Gwo Ngwo” song. They turned the music into stanzas, with different voice parts giving renderings that gave the song a harmony that touches the worldly part of the heart.
I pray, with the rate at which our choirs adopt songs with lyrics that are not liturgical, we would wake up one day to hear in well-organized parts of tenor, bass, soprano, etc: “Nnam eze akpatam enyi, Nnam eze akpatam enyi. (My King, I have brought the Elephant)
Nwa mbe isi na ikpata onye, Nwa mbe isi na ikpata onye. (Small Tortoise, who do you say you have brought? The Elephant queried)
Asim ana ya chebe enyi dube enyi,
odikam si na akpatam enyi. (I said let the
earth protect and guide the Elephant. Did I say I have brought the Elephant?) Asim ana ya chebe enyi dube enyi, odikam si na akpatam enyi. (I said let the earth protect and guide the Elephant. Did I say I have brought the Elephant?) Okwa enyi ga abu isi oche, okwa enyi ga abu isi oche. (Is it not the Elephant that will be the chairman?)
Enyi na aga ayi so gi na azu gwo gwo gwo ngwo (Elephant continue to go, we are behind you, gwo gwo gwo ngwo)
The Catholic Church is rich with spirit-filled songs. Our Catholic hymn book is filled with hymns deep in meaning; it bothers me why our choirs don’t make it a priority to feed the congregation with such spirit-filled songs at all times.
Liturgical celebration isn’t an orchestra, not a carnival, it is not a concert, etc. It is a solemn worship, and the songs rendered should reflect such.
Choir members, “Gwo Gwo Ngwo” is no-go area. Please don’t bring it into our liturgical celebration. Let us deal with those you have already introduced, with lyrics not reflecting our liturgical sense, with either pop, afro, or blues rhythms. Enough of these infiltrations of our liturgy with such songs. Cut us some slack!!
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