Music as a source of peaceful co-existence
“Music is an art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color” – English Dictionary
Today, music has become a source of comfort, happiness, inspiration, livelihood, national integration and above all, peaceful co-existence.
Benue State is blessed with a lot of musical icons: Bongos Ikwue, Zaki Adzer, Tuface Idibia, to mention but a few. These aforementioned musicians are not just a pride to Benue as a state but to Nigeria as a country. When they perform on the national scene, Benue State is promoted, when they do same on the international scene, Nigeria is prided with ethnicity, religion and other divides broken.
Recently in Jalingo, where I am resident, my land lady who happens to be a Jukun woman from Wukari brought me her native christian video and asked me to play it on DVD player, according to her, it refused to play on hers. On collecting the Video CD, my surprise came, it was sung by a Tiv artist. The album was titled James Tertindi Ajaver “Vo Butso’ u Kyanomizo” meaning “Your handiwork is wonderful”. I was so impressed when I eventually watched the video and I could only but draw the conclusion that such productions may have contributed to putting to rest, the ageless crisis between the Tivs and Jukuns in Taraba State.
Are you an artist? You too can use your God-given talent to promote peaceful co-existence especially now that our dear country Nigeria is in dire need of peace and unity!