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69 

 

 
EGWU-EKPILI IN ANAOCHA COMMUNITY: AESTHETIC AND 

DYNAMIC USE OF THE FOLKSONGS AS A TOOL FOR SOCIO-

CULTURAL COMMUNICATION  

 

Kate Ndubuaku Offor 

 

Abstract 

any writers on African music have emphasized the extra-

musical roles and functionality of traditional music. 

Attention has been drawn on the place of music as not mere 

art but as the life wire of various communities, making 

music a valued product integrated to all aspects of human life in 

Africa. Similarly, musical instruments have been noted to be 

significant in the execution of various forms of music, with many 

communities and cultural contexts utilizing and promoting musical 

instruments available in their social contexts. The body of musical 

outputs from Africa constitutes a strong cultural heritage that 

Africa boasts of and is constantly contributing to the global musical 

expressions. Indeed, African traditional music permeates the totality 

of a people‟s culture and life style. While so many musical traditions 

and specific styles have been given research attention, some critical 

and significant musical types remain untouched, denying researchers 

the inherent potential of such music. Egwu Ekpili ensemble from 

Anocha in Anambra State falls in this category. This paper, 

therefore, focuses on the Egwu-ekpili ensemble in Anocha Community 

of Anambra State with the intent of discussing the nature and 

specific norms of the music but with particular attention to the 

communicating power of the music in its peculiar aesthetic and 

dynamic forms. Attention is also given to the instruments and the 

uses of the ensemble in the society in the presentation. Data were 

M 

Awka Journal of Research in Music and the Arts (AJRMA) Vol. 14 2020 



 
70 

collected through interviews, review of related literatures and 

observation. Findings were made and possible solutions proffered.  

 

Introduction   

Anocha is a community in Anambra State, with many forms of cultural 

expression including traditional musical performances. The musical 

tradition of the people of Anocha is rich with several varieties 

featuring instrumental, vocal and a combination of vocal and 

instrumental ensembles. Many folk songs are performed individually 

and collectively with many featuring in different traditional events. 

Some of the folk songs bear extra-musical import and facilitate 

communication of cultural norms and values among the people. While 

this is not peculiar to Anocha people, it is a practice that is 

significant and valued by the people in their music making. Thus music 

is, quite often, an expression of cultural value beyond the sound and 

entertainment value of the music. One of such musical types is the 

Egwu-ekpili. This cultural practice ties with the well-known practice 

of utilising music as a critical tool for communication, exploring its 

aesthetic and dynamic nuances.  

   

Music is generally a product of organised sound by man which 

eventually is employed in various aspects of human life. It could be 

produced by the musical instruments, human voice or both, as already 

stated. Music has therefore, traditionally played a very important 

role in the cultural life of the people and represents a strong Anocha 

heritage. In certain ways, it is a form of communication and media 

which plays functional role in the Anocha society. This paper 

therefore, focuses on the aesthetic practice of utilising folk tunes to 

communicate messages to the public within the Anocha cultural milieu.  

 

Conceptual Framework 

Aesthetics: Aesthetics is the concept that describes the idea of 

beauty in arts. It generally attempts to capture the notion of value 



 
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and acceptability of arts within a cultural context based on the 

acceptable codes of the people. The culture and the owners 

therefore define what is acceptable or beautiful in the arts and how 

such applies to their creative endeavours and well-being. Thus a given 

musical performance may be exciting and aesthetically valuable based 

on the functionality and social relevance attached to it. Okafor 

(2005) affirmed that the essential thing is that: 

man consciously sets out to compose music of a certain 
type, of a certain effect, of a certain use and of a 
certain shape just as he consciously sets about to 
combine or assemble certain compounds and elements 
into a product of a certain type, colour, shape, texture 
for specific use by targeted customers or users (p. 
385).  

 

Folk music is always characteristic in a given culture, signifying 

several things in the cultural context. Every society extols its own 

musical heritage and promotes it for the various cultural roles they 

play. An Igbo adage says:“Nku di na Mba na eghelu Mba nni” (The 

firewood found in a given town is what is employed in cooking food in 

the place.) Thus folksongs are not performed for the mere fun of it. 

It must have a serious purpose or be attached to a serious occasions 

within or outside the community. In this regard, Nketia (2004) 

posited that the Yoruba choral groups are not organised on musical 

value rather, their organisation is based on activities and functions 

which are considered primary.  

 

Describing Egwu-ekpili, Nzewi (2006) stated that the primary 

principle of aesthetics in indigenous style is the pure tradition of the 

group and refusal of the acceptance of modern trends. They are 

purely native performers, they reject genre at any level with 

influence of Western tradition. Egwu-ekpili makes use of some 

selected musical instruments found in Anocha such as Ichaka, 



 
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(beaded rattle) Ogene nkpinabo (double bell),Elele (bamboo stick), 

Une(still product of bamboo) and Udu(musical pot with double holes). 

The ensemble occasionally includes Oja (Wooden flute).  

 

Dynamics:  The dynamics of Egwu-ekpili performance presentation is 

highly aesthetic in nature. The level at which the performers 

respond, entertain and play their instruments often stimulate the 

audience to dance and this leads to the achievement of the musical 

and social intentions of the music ensemble. There is generally a 

mutual relation that exists between music, dance and audience during 

performances. The high level aesthetical and stylistic appearance 

during performances makes the group very popular in Anocha, making 

egwu-ekpili to be highly sought after for social events. They perform, 

play their instruments and sing their folk tunes in good volume and 

with slow transitions. The audience is also actively and critically 

involved in the dynamics of Egwu-ekpili presentation. It is often 

understood that in African traditional music, the beauty and 

excitements that pull the population or audience may result from the 

techniques applied in adding melody, harmony and rhythm to the music 

performance. Dynamics can also be used to dramatise the 

performance at the end of the music with instrumentalist 

instrumentation and the response/refrain.  

 

The blending of the instruments also results in an interesting output 

during the performance, by controlling loudness at the right times in 

the music.  

 

Messages: Song texts provide access to meanings, values and social 

issues in various cultural locations. Songs therefore constitute 

integral part of cultural literature orally transmitted from one 

generation to another. Quite often indigenous musicians employ local 

languages in their various dialects to present and communicate to the 

public the essence of the folksongs and the messages contained in 



 
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them. Thus, traditional music makers are known to use vernacular 

language more often to communicate their music to the society at 

large to enable the song texts permeate the entire life of the 

society. 

 

Egwu-ekpili group is an example of such cultural practice. The group‟s 

folksongs are presented in the language and dialects of the people 

which permeate the entire Igbo people added access to the social, 

cultural and moral meanings and implications of the texts. These 

feature on such occasions as religious, political, protest, social, rite of 

passage and Christian activities. Rendering the songs and the 

messages in local dialects draws the people to the music, making them 

enticing and artistic in style. Stylistic and dynamic use of the local 

language and dialects in the song texts provide aesthetic appeal and 

stimulate communal interest in egwu-ekpili music. The group boasts of 

very popular and well-known song titles. An example: 

1. Ebulu jeman jemanje 

Oriaku oriaku inokwa no uno  

Oriaku efuomu inokwa na uno 

This generally translates to: 

Wealth eater, wealth eater, are you in the house?  

Wealth eater I am missing, are you in the house?  

 

Social access to the songs by the audience enables aesthetic 

judgment after each performance. For instance, the people might say 

“egwu a atoka”, meaning “the music is very sweet” or “Ogulu ya 
ofuma”, “the music was well rendered.” Oluyemi Olaniyan in his article 

in the hand book of methodology in African studies affirmed that in 

the Yoruba society for example, there are terms used to describe 

the quality of music performed by any artistes or a group of artistes 

such terms like “Ohun Iyo” (the voice of salt) means it is sweet voice 

“Ohun goodoro”, (smooth voice) means sonorous voice, “Ohun oro” 



 
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(treatment voice) means vibrato voice which is most suitable for the 

rendition of mournful songs. An artiste who possesses these voice 

qualities is described as “Oludun Iyo, ololun gooro” and „Olulun aro”, as 

the case may be (1999: 57). 

 

The above is applicable in Igbo land and in Anocha area. They use the 

terms “Onu-okwa” – partridge voice, “Onu-ogene”-bell voice. In Igbo 

community for instance there are lots and lots of them. In Anocha 

for example, Egwu-ekpili explores vocal resources for their 

performances.  

 

Similarly, Igbo highlife songs gain popularity by use of local languages. 

An example by Osita Osadebe  is “Oso ndi owe ndi.”Blacking‟s (1976) 

expression of music as “humanly organized sound” finds validity in the 

use of folk music in various aspects of human life and in the language 

accessible to them. Okafor (2005: 385) stressed that “since man 

uses music to express or communicate an idea or emotion, music then 

is a language, it universally lies in its occurrence in every culture.” 

 

Theoretical Framework  

Egwu-Ekpili Performance:  The writer anchored this paper on 

Akpabot‟s (1986) theory that states that from the day an African is 

born up to when he attains manhood, marries and eventually dies, 

music plays a very important part in his daily experiences and the 

behavioural patterns in a given society (is) to a large extent 

dependent on their musical life.  

 

Concepts 

This theory is in support of this paper that focuses on the music 

performance of Anocha people with their local instrument and 

folksongs called egwu-ekpili which is a kind of minstrel music.  It 

sends message, sometimes with proverbs. It gives information to the 

society. Egwu-ekpili acts as a medium through which information is 



 
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disseminated to the community. In Anocha community Eze and Ozo 

tilted men make much use of the group by hiring them during their 

celebrations which may be religious, social, kingship coronations, 

political and rites of the passage and soon. 

 

Members of the communities are also free to invite them during 

marriage ceremonies, chieftaincy title taking, etc. In general, Egwu-

ekpili originated from the gatherings during the moon light games 

often after supper to tell tales in different village settings. 

According to Akpabot (1986: 1) “it is not unusual to find musicians in 

an African villages gathering together after supper to make music in 

the moonlight for the fun of it.” 

 

Egwu-ekpili is popular in Anocha community because of the series of 

performances they present during events they attend and how they 

entertain their audiences. Their creative use of folksongs and 

instrumentation provide exciting moments for the people. They have 

very good unique local instruments which play speech melody, 

intricate rhythms and they deliver their messages through songs in 

rhythmic and artistic manner, delivered with very good tempo and 

aesthetic cum dynamic moods. There are other musical groups in 

Anocha community such as Egwu-Ubo, Ogene music, Igba, Ndioma, 

Odenji, to mention but few. All these groups have their musical out 

fit with their different instruments. But Egwu-ekpili is highly 

cherished in the community and has brought more benefits to the 

community through their performances for the politicians. Such 

politicians reciprocate the good music presentation by providing social 

amenities such as street lights, drinking water, tarring of some village 

roads and restructuring of some school buildings. This is because the 

folksongs become means of conveying the needs of the people to the 

politicians. They deliberate on the information and subsequently take 

action. Egwu-ekpili group therefore plays very important role in 

Anocha community because through their music presentation, their 



 
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messages to the people are passed onto the society and such 

messages influence the young and old through teaching them good 

morals, social ethos, etc. These influence and help them to live 

together in the community.  

 

Their performance songs are determined by the musical context 

available for that moment. It would be recalled that Fela Anikulapo 

Kuti also criticized the government and sang about their ills through 

his style of music called Afro-Jazz, Afro-rock or Afro-beat, but 

Egwu-ekpili is quite different from the above mentioned though they 

also talk about societal issues and ills going on in the village or 

community for corrections. They also sing about anybody with bad 

character from the women and men in the community. Egwu-ekpili is a 

very serious group of musicians that perform African traditional 

music to reform, transform and inform with their pure local 

instrument that are very unique when compared with other musical 

instruments. Like elele – from bamboo is a talking flute, but is not 

common instrument. It is locally made and owned by the community. 

Egwu-ekpili also functions as praise poetry to draw attention to 

particular matters in the community with the sense of musical 

rendition style that reflects the mood and manner of application. 

Egwu-ekpili folk musicians are regarded as good, capable and can 

utilize compositional materials or devices in the environment. Olaniyan 

states that African music, therefore, is the music treated, 

performed and enjoyed by Africans. The music satisfies African idea 

and attributes of the philosophy of the people in their various 

cultures.  Such music fulfills the usages, role, functions and the 

artistic and aesthetic phenomena of the people who own the music 

(1999: 156). 

 

The above statement is not far from the cultural practice within the 

Anocha community According to Chernoff (1999: 30), African 

traditional music has been passed on from one generation to another. 



 
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The artistes are non-literate but highly imaginative, creative, skillful, 

resourceful and full of initiative. Similarly, Egwu-ekpili ensemble 

members are not literate but they are experts on their instruments 

and folksongs and are people called Nwa egwu / Umu egwu which mean 

son of music or children of music. It means that Egwu-ekpili 

performers are quite knowledgeable and the masters of their 

instruments.  

 

Though these folks performer are called Egwu-ekpili, as the name 

indicates, Egwu is musicwhile ekpili is rattle, locally made with Udala 

seed or Ukpa seed, and is stronger and bigger than Udala seed (the 

local apple).There are other instruments used in the performance of 

the music such as Udu (pot) with two holes on the upper side of the 

pot. The mouth and a hole by the top side of the neck of the pot with 

Ogene mkpi na abo(twin bells), nkpo nkpo called (wood block).  

 
Elele, made from bamboo tree is also used.  Amongst the instruments 

Ekpili is the more sophisticated and plays variations in tone that 

brings out the aesthetic value of the music. Though all the 

instruments blend together, the combination also brings out the 

beauty of the melody and rhythm of the folk music. Folk music is a 

form of cultural indicator and transmits information to the society. 

Lomax (1968) affirmed that music is an-all-embracing art within an 

African society. Folk text has been described as culture agents that 

reveal a good measure of the people‟s life, cultural ethics, norms and 

general pattern of life (p. 41).  

 

The folk songs which the Egwu-ekpili musicians perform are quite 

many. They are performed with their musical instruments. The folk 

tunes are either for encouragement, praise, talking about the ill of 

the community or information they can use.  

Examples of the song texts are as follow: 

 



 
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 Song for a Lazy Man 

1. Ebulu jema je maje 

Ebulu jema je ebulu je 

Aha Ebulu jema je ebulu je 

2. Emehalu bia je olu  

Anaghi mu ejeooo (Response) 

Na chi mu fulu m n‟anya, Iyo  

Bia je nku 

Anaghi mu eje 

Na chi mu fulu m n‟anya Iyo 

Come and work no I will not work  

My God loves me  

Come and go to fetch fire wood  

No I will not go  

My God loves me 

Encouraging Folksongs Message of Faith 

    Call     Response  

3. Nwa nne m, nwa nn m  nwe nchekwube 

Ebegbuna onwe gi   nwe nchekwube 

Chukwu kwu na azu  nwe nchekwube 

English      

My son, my son  have hope  

My son, my son  have hope  

God is at your back  have hope        

Song for Peace    English 

    Call     Response  

4. Kwe nu udo, udo o – o   Shout peace peace  

Udo ga-adi, ebe ifunanya di Where there is peace 

Ebe afu ka udo ga di  that is where the peace will be  

 

 



 
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Song for Wealthy Man 

 Call     Response  

5. Gbulu tufu   gbulu, gbulu tufu 

Gbulu tufu   gbulu, gbulu tufu 

Isi efi, gbulu tufu   gbulu, gbulu tufu 

Isi inyinya, gbulu-tufu  gbulu, gbulu tufu 

Kill-down, kill, kill-down 

Kill-down, kill, kill-down 

Head of cow kill-down, kill, kill-down 

Head of horse kill-down, kill, kill-down 

 

Factors that affect Egwu-ekpili in contemporary times  

 Lack of strong leadership.  Economic empowerment–People that 

hire them do not really pay what they deserve and this therefore 

hampers the maintenance of the instruments and hinders the 

scope of performance and rehearsals. Because of the prevalence 

of performance, members are sometimes full of ego, pride and 

boasting affect proper functioning of the ensemble.  Life 

pattern/lifestyle of members also affects the attitude of 

members to group rehearsals and performances. Every member 

seems to be a leader unto himself/herself, weakening the 

leadership structure. 

 Lack of Punctuality to the rehearsals and performance.  

Disobedience to the rules and lack of punctuality to rehearsals 

affect the group. Argument on folk song text selection causes 

misunderstanding and malice among the performers.  

Egwu-ekpili performers are not the conventional trained musicians 

and this brings inferiority complex when it has to do with 

educated/elite musicians because they are mainly based in the 

community where they practice the cultures and term it to be 

primitive in nature. They feel inferior and try to avoid group 



 
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activities. Egwu-ekpili ensemble as an autonomous group contributes 

to musical performances and musical knowledge in the community.  

 

Recommendations  

Because of lack of strong leadership the people that hire them take 

it to be an unserious group of performers and have no regard or take 

them seriously. So the group is required to reassess their attitude 

and leadership structure to enhance the group‟s reputation. 

Awareness should be created about what music is conventionally, and 

the contributions it makes to the society. When awareness is created 

there would be renewed understanding of the relevance of the music. 

This would make so many youths in the society to embrace the music. 

It was said that charity begins at home. The love of music must begin 

within the life pattern of individuals. Onwuekwe, (2015: 99) stressed 

that the music of people portrays the way of life of the individuals 

within the community. In short music is an expression of the people‟s 

culture. Anocha community as a whole is endowed with very rich 

musical and cultural heritage and with such musical awareness the 

group will be recognized beyond their local community. When a 

knowledgeable person becomes the leader, there will be a strong 

group that will give the music a good name and it will remove 

inferiority complex from the group.   

 

Conclusion 

Since attention has been called to the neglect of the ensemble 

music‟s existence to the appropriate headquarters, it is expected 

that there will be a change-in approach in all ramifications of 

attitude, creativity and performance presentations of the group.  

 

Understanding of musical ideas and knowledge will develop potentially 

interesting players to join the musical group. Appropriate learning of 

the music will be done. Members will be more serious with the music 

practice both in the song aspect and in playing the instruments. The 



 
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economic empowerment will be visible and directed, while maintenance 

of instruments will be achieved. Egwu-ekpili therefore makes 

significant contributions in the communication of cultural, social and 

educative messages to the community of Anocha, while contributing 

to youth empowerment and development in the place. It requires that 

the group takes their social responsibilities seriously and develop 

their creative talents for high-level musical performances. 

 

Egwu-ekpili Ensemble Instruments 

 
Udu (pot)                           Ichaka 

 

    

 

 
Wooden Block   

 

 

 

 



 
82 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         Udala (Rattle)          Ogene (Metal bell) 

 

 

 
Elele (Indigenous Flute)  

 

References 

Akpabot, S. (1986). Foundations of Nigerian traditional music. Ibadan: 

Spectrum Books.  

Mans, M. (2006). Centering on African practice in musical arts 
education. Pan-African Society of Musical Arts Education: 

South Africa: African Minds Publisher. 

Nzewi, E. N. (2006). Centering on African practice in musical arts 
education.. Pan-African Society of Musical Arts Education: 

South African: African Minds Publisher. 

Onwuekwe, A. I. (2006). A Journal of the Association of Nigerian 
Musicologists, Vol. 1 & 2.  

Okafor, R. C. (2005). Music in Nigerian Society, New Generation 

Ventures Limited, Enugu. 

Nketia, K. (1979). The music of Africa, London. 

Onyeji, C. (2006). Centering on African Practice in Musical Arts 
Education. Pan-African Society of Musical Arts Education: 

South African: African Minds Publisher. 


