“Hail, Mary”: a Case Study of the 2013 Forum for the Inculturation of Liturgical Music in Nigeria Quintina Carter-Enyi University of Georgia

Yale Journal of Music & Religion Volume 5 | Number 1 Article 2 Thirteen Ways to “Hail, Mary”: A Case Study of the 2013 Forum for the Inculturation of Liturgical Music in Nigeria Quintina Carter-Enyi University of Georgia Aaron Carter-Enyi Morehouse College Follow this and additional works at: https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/yjmr Part of the African Languages and Societies Commons, Catholic Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, Ethnomusicology Commons, and the Music Theory Commons Recommended Citation Carter-Enyi, Quintina and Carter-Enyi, Aaron () "Thirteen Ways to “Hail, Mary”: A Case Study of the 2013 Forum for the Inculturation of Liturgical Music in Nigeria," Yale Journal of Music & Religion: Vol. 5: No. 1, Article 2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17132/2377-231X.1118 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by EliScholar – A Digital Platform for Scholarly Publishing at Yale. It has been accepted for inclusion in Yale Journal of Music & Religion by an authorized editor of EliScholar – A Digital Platform for Scholarly Publishing at Yale. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Thirteen Ways to “Hail, Mary” A Case Study of the 2013 Forum for the Inculturation of Liturgical Music in Nigeria Quintina Carter-Ényì and Aaron Carter-Ényì As in many regions missionized during people were transported by the Spanish the colonial era, choosing a language and and Portuguese to the Caribbean and South musical style for Christian worship has America from Badagry and Ouidah in the been and remains challenging in Nigerian Bight of Benin.5 churches. This is compounded by the It should be noted that even “Ìgbò” and diverse makeup of Nigerian society, which “Yorùbá”—now known as the major ethnic includes hundreds of ethnolinguistic groups of southern Nigeria—are, like the cultures. Nineteenth-century missionaries nation itself, constructs of colonial-era used indigenous languages to evangelize evangelism and nation building formed but banned indigenous instruments and through active cultural consolidation.6 musical styles in churches. More recently, This started with the standardization of urbanization has created multi-ethnic cities, languages out of many dialects that were and in turn multi-ethnic churches, making (and in some cases still are) spoken. The English a logical bridge language for worship, standard languages were selected by teams of as it is for business and education. However, missionaries and early converts and spread our interviews with Christian musicians through dictionaries, Bible translations, and worship leaders over the past decade and mission schools. For Yorùbá, the Ọyọ consistently indicate that many feel they dialect became the standard.7 “Central Ìgbò” cannot express their faith as meaningfully is based on several dialects of present-day in English.1 Abia and Imo States, including Mbaise, Before colonialism and the introduction Mbano, and Orlu.8 The Ìgbò and Yorùbá of Christianity, Nigeria was not a single language clusters are large and have been nation. The coastal region from the Bight of a focus of evangelism since the mid- Benin to the Bight of Biafra has long been nineteenth century. However, because of densely populated and today is estimated the vast linguistic diversity in the region, to include between 200 and 500 languages, not all languages could be joined with Ìgbò many of which are in rapid decline.2 The or Yorùbá for the purposes of evangelism or region is thought to have been the starting ethnic-identity formation in the southern point for the Bantu expansion some Niger territory (now Nigeria). There are 2,000 years ago, and therefore a cultural many other “minority” languages in Nigeria motherland for much of sub-Saharan in the southern and “middle belt” regions, Africa. Because the territory now known as including Bini, Eṣan, Efik, Ibibio, Igala, Nigeria was so densely populated, it drew Itṣekiri, Tiv, and Urhobo. the attention of slave traders for centuries, Every two years since 1997, the Forum becoming known as the “Slave Coast.”3 for the Inculturation of Liturgical Music Hundreds of thousands of enslaved Ìgbò (FILM) has provided a platform for many people were transported to North America ethnolinguistic cultures to contribute to by the English from Calabar in the Bight the future direction of the Roman Catholic of Biafra.4 Millions of enslaved Yorùbá liturgy in Nigeria. This case study focuses Yale Journal of Music & Religion Vol. 5, No. 1 (2019) 35 on the 2013 Biennial Choral Festival, both traditional choral and contemporary which included a competitive award for praise settings, and it seems to appeal to motet settings—specifically, 13 settings of many churchgoers, particularly in large and the “Ave Maria” text in seven of Nigeria’s growing Pentecostal churches. Elsewhere, hundreds of languages.9 Of these 13 we have proposed that the phenomenon of settings, the Motet I award for a setting of multilingualism in popular music reflects an the “Ave Maria” in an indigenous language emerging Afropolitan outlook, in contrast went to a composition in Igala (a language to efforts at Pan-Africanism through of the middle belt) by Abel Obaje of Kogi monolingualism (e.g., Fẹlá Kuti’s use of State University. The setting competed Pidgin English).12 against four Yorùbá-language settings and The consistent success of choral two Ìgbò-language settings. Prior to that music in minority languages at FILM is a year, FILM had already introduced music hopeful indicator of the future direction of with lyrics in minority languages into the Nigerian society. The nation was marred Nigerian canon of choral music, extending by ethnic conflict soon after independence beyond religious settings into public with the Civil War of 1967–70. Complex concerts in Nigeria and abroad. ethnic and religious tensions continue to A highlight of the festival is for all of the this day. FILM offers an opportunity for participants to join together in a mass choir Nigeria’s many cultures to be celebrated of hundreds to sing winning compositions on a level playing field, distinct from most from past years. In 2013, this included environments where one ethnolinguistic Osolobruvwe Do (God, we thank You) in the culture is favored over another or, Bini language of Edo State10 and Yak Ikom alternatively, all are uniformly displaced Abasi (Let us thank the Lord) in the Efik by English. The conflict between cultural language of Cross River State.11 The mass continuity and preservation of Nigeria’s choir participants knew these polyphonic many ethnolinguistic cultures on the one compositions so well that they could hand and national-identity formation sing them from memory while dancing on the other is persistent and hard to ecstatically. We have also heard these reconcile. Many choral competitions hosted works performed by church, school, and by Anglican, Catholic, or Pentecostal professional choirs. Notably, Yak Ikom Abasi organizations center around one is standard repertoire for the renowned Lagos ethnolinguistic culture. The ideal of unity City Chorale, which has performed the work in diversity is often emphasized by the on tours in the United States and Europe. A federal government but is rarely realized sermon in a minority language like Bini or through effective programs. Efik is unlikely outside of the local area to Learning about and appreciating ethnic which the language is indigenous. English and cultural diversity would seem to be an is the preferred language for preaching in important goal of public education, but cosmopolitan areas such as Abuja, Lagos, Nigeria’s public primary and secondary and Port Harcourt, so that the message can schools are barely functioning. In any be understood across ethnicities. However, case, they scarcely have the resources to singing music in multiple languages is teach the music or languages of a wide a growing practice among musicians in range of Nigeria’s cultures. Once-thriving 36 Yale Journal of Music & Religion Vol. 5, No. 1 (2019) federal universities have been weakened organ or harmonium was allowed in by government divestment, resulting Church. No indigenous instrument, in frequent faculty strikes and decaying however suitable its tone sound, could 14 facilities. The mandatory Youth Service, be used in Church. which stations new college graduates in There was a problem with the prohibition a different region for one year of service of indigenous musical practices that had as learning in either agriculture, education, much to do with language as with the music health, or infrastructure, has the potential itself. The Niger-Congo family languages to—and occasionally does—make a of southern Nigeria are tonal, wherein pitch significant impact on the attitudes of the contour often determines the meaning of young. However, the sons and daughters words. European missionaries were not of the wealthy often manipulate the cognizant of this important feature of these system to stay in their home state and the languages. In translating hymn texts, they opportunity for exposure to another culture preserved the number of English syllables is lost. Festivals and events geared toward in order that the new words could be sung domestic tourism, such as the National to existing hymn tunes. This process often Arts Festival and the Abuja Carnival, show deeply distorted the intended meaning.15 promise within secular society. FILM is a Sometimes the result was utter nonsense, unique multi-ethnic contribution to sacred like “Come to prayer, it’s crippled,” or music in Nigeria.

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