Learning from the Past in Organising Music Therapy Activities for the Elderly in Esan, Edo State of Nigeria
By Charles O. Aluede & Osakue Stevenson Omoera
Abstract
There are so many prejudices associated with aging all over the world. While in the Western world efforts are constantly being made to establish old peoples’ homes and nursing homes for geriatric purposes, the desired attention is yet to be drawn to this concept in Nigeria. Nigerian communities which used to be known for communal lifestyle seem to have jettisoned it as a result of acculturation. Today, the aged live with their kinsmen in the various societies without much attention given to them. Sometimes they are even seen as sources of threats, as when they are accused of spiritually having evil hands in the death of younger contemporaries in the society. It is against this backdrop that this paper surveys the use of music for geriatric purposes in the previous epochs in Esan and suggests a continuum of this practice so that fruitful years could be added to the lives of the aged in Esan.
Introduction
In early Nigeria, there was a very common tradition of the use of music in the healing, rehabilitation and management of the aged. By doing this, the old felt loved, accommodated, spiritually bound with younger contemporaries and also felt recognised in the social, spiritual structures of things and health care delivery. This trend was not restricted to a group of closely knitted neighbours in terms of traditions of origin or geographical proximity. There is evidence for this found also in adjacent communities to the Esan community that is our major focus.
There exists an astonishing paradox in this province: Esan community is gerontocratic, and so decision making is the exclusive preserve of the elders. Gerontocracy is a form of social organization in which a group of old men or a council of elders dominate decisions by exercising some form of control. Elders do not perform instrumental music, however. Such duties are for the adults and youths. If one may ask: can the feeble hands drum? Can the husky voice sing? Or can the weak legs dance to the characteristic polyrhythm?
In this paper, we investigate the evidence of music for older persons in Esan. That is, how old the tradition is and where, how and /or when music was usually used, the point of departure from this tradition and the factors responsible for it. Subsequently, the paper addresses the issues raised above to encourage continuity in this practice so that the aged can once again be integrated into the age old communal living.
The Esan
The term Esan is applied to the people and language spoken in a particular locale, which has five local government areas in Edo Central senatorial district of Edo state. It is bounded on the north by Owan, on the west by Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo state, on the southeast by Ika, Oshimili and Aniocha Local Government Areas of Delta state, and on the East by the River Niger.
For Okojie (1994) and Arhuidese (2004), it would have been correct to say that studies on Esan origin have relied extensively on oral traditions and intelligence reports. Today, the origin of Esan is a subject of scholarly investigation by cultural historians, cultural anthropologists, traditionalists and linguists. However, they all support the Benin connection of Esan origin.
What is Music Therapy?
Music therapy as for instance the Canadian Association for Music Therapy (CAMT) has defined it, is the skilful use of music and musical elements by an accredited music therapist. It is a discipline which combines the use of music with the personal qualities of the therapist as a treatment for rehabilitating, maintaining, and improving the lives of persons with emotional, cognitive, social, spiritual, psychological and physical needs.
It should be briefly mentioned here that Esan people still live in traditional societies where music is essentially a communal property. Over half of their musical practices are handed down from one generation to another. Although the traditional musicians in this area do not have any major form of accreditation, their patronage and general acceptance in the host communities could be said to parallel certification or licence.
Aspects of Aging in Esan
In Esan province, humans are believed to be alive as long as they are not dead or interred. However, as one begins to age and gradually prepare for a journey “home,” the aged begin to record a lot of health complications. These complications may or may not be immediately known to the individuals. Discussing the different types of living and existence, Mbanefo (1991) says of compensative existence thus:
There is a group of people who feel well and claim to be in perfect health, but on examination some clinical disorder is established, even though they are completely unaware of the disorder. A characteristic finding is that they believe themselves to be in health and act accordingly. They differ from the obviously sick in their being able to sustain their positions at work and in society without any professional medical assistanceÂ…. This group in compensative existence forms the vast majority of the population, especially the elderly (Mbanefo, 1991, p. 2).
Evidence of Music for Older Persons in Esan
In Esan, there exists a class structure of social differentiation, which portrays an idea of hierarchical ranking within which members of the society fall. This hierarchy helps in sustaining the socio-political structure of the people. At the peak of the male age-grade structure is the Odion or Odionwele. He is usually the eldest of elders (Okoduwa, 2006:48). The Odionwele with other elders who are seventy years and above, are those who sit in council usually an Ogua or Ogbakha (court or any acceptable meeting place). This meeting place could be the eldest manÂ’s house, the shrine of the entire village or the road junction. As a rule, the decision of these elders is final in that they are viewed to be closest to the ancestors and are therefore seen as the ancestorsÂ’ mouth pieces. They do not take part in any form of communal labour, rather, they sit over non-criminal cases of members within the community, fix dates for festivals and decide when and what kinds of work need to be done.
Elders do not necessarily drum in ensembles. Rather they are drummed for. They sing, clap and dance, however. When one thinks of musical activities which provide for the aged avenues to vent emotion of fear, weakness, grief and uncertainties associated with aging, Igbabonelimin immediately comes to mind. It is a statement of fact that Igbabonelimin masquerades are from different family lineages and sometimes are even the children and grand children of the older men in the community. That a masquerade who is presently dancing is from ones lineage brings in a competition-like trend where the elderly are reminded of the artistic exploits of their childhood. In this anxiety filled competitive environment, they sing and dance along with their family masquerade.
On another plane, just like half time break in football matches, Igbabonelimin performance has characteristic musical interludes where unmasked elders are given the room to dance to the appreciation of the audience. Special songs are selected for them from the ensembleÂ’s repertory. Some of such songs are transcribed and translated below.
| TEXT IN ESAN | TRANSLATION |
|---|---|
| Uzo na ‘gele ha gbe | The antelope that would’ve been killed by a youth |
| Omai gbole | has been killed by the aged |
| Oya gele hi vie | the youth is a sorrowing |
| Oya gele hi vie | the youth is a sorrowing |
| Oya gele hi vie | the youth is a sorrowing |
| Omai gbu ‘zo | the aged has killed the antelope |
Characteristically, an antelope within the Esan culture area is seen as a very agile animal which requires some dexterity on the part of the hunter to track down. It is this metaphoric essence that is put into musical craftsmanship when it said that the young has gone a-sorrowing over his inability to capture the antelope. Where as, the older men through experience effortlessly danced to the complex rhythm which, in a sense, is associated with the hot chase of the animal.
| TEXT IN ESAN | TRANSLATION |
|---|---|
| Obhokhai gbona | No child dances to this |
| Owo wo | Owo wo1 |
| Owowori wo | Owowori wo |
| Obhokhai gbona | No child dances to this |
| Owo wo | Owo wo |
| Owowori wo | Owowori wo |
[1 Owowo in Esan means something that is loose. In the context of this composition, the onomatopoeic sound, owoworiwo represents cool or slow rhythm which is ideal for the elderly.]
In the photograph above, an elder steps into the arena as the masquerades are about to go for rest. During this interval, a musical interlude is provided specially for the elderly. We can see a snatch of this in the photograph below as an elder takes over the dance.
The point being made is that because of the energy sapping nature of this dance, the masquerades go for recess after about twenty minutes of performance. The rigorousness of this masquerade dance cannot be better captured than this photograph below showing a dancer taking flight.
The Statement of Problem
It is a reality that it is impossible to control diseases by mere medication. The use of music in healing, which does not have any side effects, was then acclaimed to be efficacious in healing. Cottrell (2002, para 1) confirms that “since the beginning of recorded history, music has played a significant role in the healing of human kind. Music and healing were communal activities that were natural to everyone.” She opined that music nourishes us in ways we don’t even realize. It inspires us, relaxes us and energizes us. In Esan, music was always used in the entertainment of the aged through collective activity. The borrowing and adaptation of western and other forms of acculturation has led to copying everything foreign and jettisoning all that was. Consequently, elders live in practically isolated worlds of their own and their children who should have been supportive are in search of modern means of livelihood in urban areas.
The Point of Departure from the Old Practice
Music, dance and musical instruments are in many cases seen as sacred and they are profusely used in healing rites (Aluede, 2006, p. 339). It is common knowledge that emotional feelings are indivisibly tied to physical wellbeing of humans; hence music is often regarded as the food of the soul. Finn (1992) says that the rhythmic percussion of hand claps and foot stamping, the jumping and leaping, the conversion and confession in unknown tongues, which is a form of possession and ecstasy, make Africans feel the power of the supernatural passing through them. He opines further that their music could be used as an antidote to suffering in life and defence against evils. Through music, the structure and the internal patterns of human beings are regulated. Observing the importance of music, Gerber (1988) says:
The mind does influence biochemical reactions of the total body and that creative thoughts actively stimulate endocrinological or hormonal functions which flow through our psychological feeling and physiological activities (Gerber, 1988, p. 22).
The craze for new but foreign patterns of life styles has been the major cause of the erosion of the use of music in therapy in Esan. Even when the Esan did not evolve any theoretical foundation of the efficacious use of music in healing they were able to put it into use in their various communities with some degree of success. Today traditional ensembles are getting extinct with great rapidity and as a result, the services they once offered have diminished. Although different genres of music are being played in the areas on the radios, DVDs and VCDs, the music is alien and the texts are of little or no relevance to the aged.
Ways to Resolve the Present Problem
When music is placed side by side any other form of therapy, music has a primary advantage: it works at the emotional as well as the spiritual levels (McClellan, 1988). McClellan further observes that the basic premise upon which music healing operates is that a primary cause of disease is emotional stress and negative mental attitudes that create energy imbalances and blockages. From the observation above, music healing is primarily connected with health problems of psychosomatic disorders and also helps in killing pains physically. Music facilitates the expressions of emotions and enables us to reaffirm our original well being. Earlier than this discovery, Inayat Khan (1973 and 1978) observed that the existence of illness in the body may be called a shadow of the true illness which is held by man in his mind. He says that by the power of music, the mind may become exalted so that it rises above the thought of illness; then the illness is forgotten. A study of music for geriatric purposes reveals that it has healing effects on its users. Rather than study the relevance of music in healing so as to document the diseases music can heal and identify procedures for music healing, occasional references are made to music in healing rites by scholars of religion, anthropology and ethnography. Greatly disturbed by this development, Friedson (1996, p. xiii) complains that “Ethnographers have not given musical experience a correspondingly prominent place in their research. Music is usually treated as an epiphenomenon, something that accompanies other more important ritual activities.”
McClellan (1988) says that the introduction of specific tones to areas where blockages occur can release the cause of the blockages, restore the bodies to a balanced flow of energy, wholeness and unity. McClellanÂ’s view gives wide latitude to the specific nature of ailments music can cure. Beyond the specified ailments mentioned, music therapy relieves pains and tensions hence music is also seen as medicine (Moreno, 1995; Ruzvidzo, 1997).
Conclusion and Recommendation
The importance ascribed to music stems from the fact that it is an eclectic art, it is not just for entertainment but very potent in religio-medical practice. This respect is contingent on its role in the society. Relying on its importance and use among the Esan people, there is an urgent need for a scholastic synergy in the study of this musical practice. It is the view of these researchers that more collaborative work be carried out so as to improve the wellbeing of the aged. Several non-Western cultures including the Esan have long standing tradition of music healing.
The deployment of music in healing is not novel to the Esan culture. Individuals, non-governmental organizations and other corporate bodies should sponsor the development of a curriculum for the training of music healing practitioners. The different tiers of government and ministries of education, health, information and culture, alongside with other affiliate groups need to collaborate in this music healing enterprise. It is very clear that music healing has been in use since time immemorial in Nigeria and that it has been kept alive by the carriers of the culture is indicative of its efficacy. However, the need for an enhancement in practice is imperative. The elderly needs the musical genre he is used to, the music he grew to cherish and love and any piece which is novel may be of no help. Corroborating this view, Cole posits:
Why do men take greater pleasure in listening to those who are singing such music as they already know than music which they do not know? Is it because, when they recognize what is being sung, it is more obvious that the singer is as it were achieving his aims, and this is pleasant to contemplate? Or is it because it is less pleasant to learn? And the reason for this is that in the one case there is acquisition of knowledge, in the other the use and recognition of it. Further, that which is familiar is always more pleasant than the unfamiliar (Cole, 1998, p.10).
From the quotation above, one can easily discern that familiar tunes affect listeners more than unfamiliar ones. Just as the fruits of the season heals the illnesses of the season. So also the music of a people can therapeutically affect the people. This is why it is said that without the culture and the musical culture of the client, music therapy activities limp on one leg. In fact, scholars of different persuasions have at one epoch or the other examined music and concluded that it has a healing force. Although there is a growing literature on the subject, exactly how music as therapy is used among the peoples of Nigeria is yet to be fully studied. In the cause of this study, the researchers discovered that the use of music as therapy for the geriatric is an age old tradition. It is not clear however, if this repertoire will perform the same healing functions in a different cultural terrain. This puzzle is therefore a proposal for future researchers.
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