Invitation - Seminar "From hunterature to professionalised Ìjálá music: my field experience with Alabi Ogundepo"

On Tuesday 20 May, IFRA-Nigeria welcomes Dr Olaolu Emmanuel Adekola, researcher at the Institute of African Studies in the University of Ibadan. Dr Adekola will take us through a presentation of his research into the world of Ìjálá music.

Indeed, the dynamic nature of African culture, especially Yorùbá culture, makes the study of music (a major aspect of culture) inexhaustible. Many African music have experienced changes in content, instrumentation, ensemble composition as well as performance context, meaning the researcher must adapt to the dynamism of his object of study. One of such music is Ìjálá, the hunters’ poetry, which also serves as an archiving house for Yorùbá philosophy, as performed by Alabi Ògúndépò. Dr Adekola's paper, on which his methodological presentation is based, examines how how Ìjálá music has evolved of the years and how Ògúndépò’s ingenuity, inventiveness and resilience have established the fact that modification on Ìjálá is an attempt to professionalize the art. He will detail his use of ethnographic research design, specifically with key informant interviews and observation to generate data. Finally, his paper argues that Alabi Ògúndépò’s artistic innovativeness and resilience contribute to making Ìjálá a professionalised traditional music and that his music serves as an archiving house through which human sociality and the cultural experience of Yorùbá is being re-conceived, reconstructed and re-contextualised for wider and broader usage.

Biography of the speaker

Dr. Olaolu Adekola obtained Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) from St. Andrew’s College, Oyo (Now Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Oyo), Bachelor of Arts (Music) from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun state. After his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Lafia, Nassarawa state, he obtained Masters of Arts and Ph.D in African Musicology from Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan. His area of research includes Music Education and ethnomusicology, specifically, Music media, Music Migration and Agromusicology. As a Research Fellow and the Postgraduate Coordinator, he teaches and supervises postgraduate students at Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan. He is a member of Association of Nigerian Musicologists, Society of Music Educators of Nigeria, and a fellow of Ife Institute of Advanced Studies. He is a registered Teacher with Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria.

Practical information

Date and time: 20 May, 10am to 12pm

Venue: IFRA-Nigeria Resources Centre, Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan

Deadline for registration: 16/05/2025

Registration link: https://forms.gle/HXHUXi1rC664WHjs8