N. A. ZAKHAROVA

Graduate student

P. G. Demidov Yaroslavl State University

Keywords: Nigeria, protest music, elections, yoruba, Goodluck jonathan, Fela Kuti

Music of the Yoruba people, one of the largest in Nigeria*, has a number of important functions in the social and political life of society. For centuries, as one of the means of transmitting information, it has played a special role in traditional culture. Music was integrated into all spheres of life-from intra-natal and intra-family relations (a mourning funeral song) to political events (a solemn song on the occasion of the announcement of a new leader).¹. Yoruba" talking drums " ** before the advent of relatively developed infrastructure, were one of the means of transmitting news, messages and friendly greetings between villages.²

In the political history of modern Nigeria, we can find many examples when the use of music helped to activate the electorate, mobilize various social groups to vote and nominate candidates, and form opposition to official authorities. Music is especially important during election campaigns.

Yoruba music in conditions of low level of political culture development and low literacy of the majority of the population is one of the most effective communication tools, being an expression of both certain "floating in the air" ideas (for example, the desire for free expression of will) and moods, including those related to the manifestation of reaction to specific events.

Musical groups, as carriers of certain views and attitudes, can participate in political actions and thus feel involved in politics. Yoruba songs can serve a consolidating function, on the one hand, educating and educating, and on the other - stimulating to respect the rule of law and morality, developing the idea of equality and the struggle for justice and, ultimately, preventing the degradation of society in conditions when every political force tries to flirt with the voters and manipulate them.

In the traditional societies of Nigeria, there is no universal musical language: each nation has its own style, unlike others. Yoruba people have their own understanding of music as a synthesis of many types of art (dance, drama, performance, poetry)³.

In the second half of the twentieth century, the Yoruba musical culture was transformed by Fele Anikulapo Kuti. His name is associated with the appearance of a protest song and some semblance of comic verses - " yabis music "("yabis "can be translated as"joke on someone"). "Yabis music" has become a tradition and retains its influence on contemporary musicians who resort to comic verses during the election campaign.

The word "yabis" became particularly popular in Lagos in the early 1970s, when F. Kuti started putting on his own music shows at the African Shrine Club. The club became a place of attraction for active young people who stood in long queues for Friday shows "Yabis Night" to see the musician. Topics raised by F. Kuti's lyrics were topical.

Nigeria experienced an oil boom in the early 1970s and became one of the largest oil suppliers to the world market. The oil boom had important consequences for the country.

On the one hand, significant funds received from the sale of oil were invested in the state sector of the economy, which led to the strengthening of the central government and the abuse of authoritarian methods of state administration. On the other hand, the implementation of economic reforms provided great opportunities for enriching the top military and the top bureaucracy.⁴

F.'s music and lyrics Kuti's denunciations of authoritarian rule and corruption were consistent with the mentality and discontent among the intelligentsia and working class, which can explain the singer's huge popularity in Nigeria and beyond the continent. F. Kuti became a symbol of the era, turned into a hero who fights against the system and never departs from the idea that music is a way of life. this is primarily a weapon.

There is a saying among the Yoruba people - "orin ni isaaju obe", which means "songs announce enemies". Modern Yoruba musicians consider it a direct duty in their work to reflect their position, human and social, even if it differs from the official opinion. Performances, as it should be in the boundaries of show business, are accompanied by-

* According to a 2012 estimate, Nigeria had a population of almost 170 million. Of these, about 80% represent four peoples: Hausa-29%, Yoruba-21%, Igbo-18%, Ijo-10%.

** "Talking drums" - a type of drum that got its name due to the ability to imitate the human voice (author's note).

** Fela A. Kuti (1938-1997) - Nigerian musician, composer, creator of the afrobeat music movement, and human rights activist. One of the most iconic musicians and political activists in Nigeria, whose death in 1997 was a national tragedy. author's note).

there are interviews in which musicians often comment on their views on the situation in the country and society. The presidential elections in April 2011 can serve as an example of the role of musicians ' status and active position in the electoral race.

Musical compositions that are performed during the election campaign are always a message or a challenge to society. They are filled with political meaning, often being directed "for" or "against" a particular political figure or platform. Their authors set themselves the goal of nominating a candidate or destroying an opponent - by praising, blaspheming, or ridiculing them.

Candidates for the post, as a rule, have a whole staff of musicians in their team. Their task is to perform songs in which the political program will be retold in a simplified form, and the candidate's positive characteristics will be given. Songs are usually based on a rhythmic, well-remembered motif or folk melody that is familiar to the electorate.⁵

In 2011, during the presidential campaign, the Goodluck Jonathan team * released five commercials with musical compositions on television, radio and on the world Wide web, which were released under the general title "I believe in Goodluck". Five songs in five languages of Nigeria (English, Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo and Ijo) are a kind of short "messages" in support of G. Jonathan. With their help, the image of the candidate was created: a purposeful, open-minded leader who can solve the problems of Nigeria and unite the nation ("I see a man with a will and passion, who can serve the people and lead our people forward" ⁶).

According to the results of the April 16, 2011 elections, Mr. Jonathan won a decisive victory in most states of Yorubaland (with the exception of Ogun State, where the majority of votes were received by Nuhu Ribani, a Muslim representative of the Action Congress Party) ^.7

Independent Yoruba musicians actively supported the future president in most states. In their songs, they expressed confidence in the candidate and, being closely connected with local residents by the ties of neighborhood and kinship, managed to attract the electorate to the side of their candidate. Among them are popular hip-hop artists: D'banj, Wizkid, Darey and Nainice. They held concerts in support of presidential candidate G. Jonathan under the general title "Our Time". Dibange released a song and video clip, calling on his fans to come to the polls and vote for Goodluck Jonathan:

  
  
 "Nigerians, I call out to you! 
 The last thing we need 
  today 
  is failure. 
 Look at luck itself 
  Across from you 
  And vote for Goodluck 
   Jonathan!"8 
  
 

During the election campaign, the name of Jonathan (the presidential candidate) - "Goodluck" - was repeatedly played in songs, in the English version it is a homonym for the word" good luck " (good luck). In a song dedicated to him, Dibange contrasts the president's "luck" with" bad luck". Given the name of the wife of the future president and later First lady of Nigeria, Patience Jonathan (English patience means "patience"), the couple represented a unique combination of "luck" and "patience", so necessary for the country today.

The most popular music genre among young people in modern Nigeria is "hip-hop". Previously, the leading position in the youth environment was occupied by Afrobit and its creator F. Kuti. In Lagos, the cultural capital of Nigeria, young people have been listening to "hip-hop" since the late 1980s, and the entire youth culture has been built around this music. The question of why this generation moved to hip-hop, which has become a new phenomenon of the musical environment, was not discussed by anyone.

F. A. Kuti was a living legend in the 1990s. The musician was also considered the main Nigerian rapper. He was the first to perform protest music, criticizing the policy of the authorities, talking about the problems of society and, thus, entered into a polemic with the ruling regime. At the end of the 1990s, after Kuti's death, "afrobit was left without a leader. Popular musical compositions in the styles of "fuji" and "juju" were far from being able to somehow illuminate Nigerian realities.

The situation in Nigeria in the 1990s was difficult, primarily due to the rule of the Sani Abacha regime (1993-1998). Only young musicians who adopted the style of music and the manner of performance from Europeans and Americans wrote texts that were in tune with the mood of society.

Currently, the popularity of hip-hop artists in Nigeria is great - they enjoy great confidence among young people. Their language is spoken by the generation that grew up in the context of liberalization - in the 21st century. In the press, the term celebrity is used to refer to them, which indicates that their lifestyle and thinking style are interesting to listeners. Young people tend to imitate idols, relying on their opinions, including regarding political choices. Musicians ' statements about their political leanings make it more likely that fans of their work will accept the information and support the candidate.

According to one of the first popular musicians in the style of hip-hop, Iidris Abdulkarim (Yoruba origin), hip-hop music is a kind of political evening school for working-class youth, and the tasks facing musicians can be considered as educational.

During the election campaign, several musicians - Eldee, Vizkid, Dibange-took advantage of the favor to themselves

* Goodluck Jonathan (b. 1957 ) is the current President of Nigeria. Previously-Governor of Bayelsa State (2005 - 2007), Vice-President of the country (2007 - 2010). By ethnic origin - Ijo, by religion-Christian (approx. author's note).

** During Abacha's rule, human rights violations and pressure on the media became widespread. Repressions among the opposition have noticeably increased, and the number of political prisoners has sharply increased. The elections were characterized by a high percentage of absenteeism and general apathy of the population.

We decided to create a project to attract young people to participate in voting. The project called "Our Time" and under the slogan " Register and enjoy!", as the musician Eldi wrote on Facebook, was supposed to help attract voters to the polling stations.

Its essence was to organize several concerts in Nigeria, admission to which was free, but the mandatory condition for passing to the festival was to present a voting card. "To avoid politicizing the project, we agreed that funds for the organization should not be raised from sources of any political party," Eldy wrote.

On the eve of the concerts, the video released on television was modified. The musician noted: "On March 17, I was watching TV and saw our video, and it said that concerts are being held in support of Goodluck Jonathan"⁹. Eldie announced that he would not participate in the concert series because it transformed their basic concept.

Dibange, one of the most popular contemporary artists in Nigeria, in addition to participating in the concerts "Our Time", acted as the host of an interview with the future president, which attracted attention and interest from young people to the politician's figure. Dibange's actions were viewed in the media as a PR campaign, an advertising project, or even as a Goodluck by D'banj label-similar to trademarks such as Polo by Ralph Lauren¹⁰.

The team of G. Jonathan chose the younger generation as its target audience. It makes up the most dynamic part of the Nigerian electorate today, forming an absolute majority. Using "hip-hop" music has become a traditional tool to attract his sympathy.

Musicians like Dibanj are listened to by university students and urban fringe residents from a working-class background. Hoping to gain support among young people, Jonathan created several pages on social networks (Facebook, Twitter), for which he later became known as Facebook President ("president of the Facebook generation").

The message of the musician Eldi that he refuses to participate in the concerts of "Our Time", posted by him on the network (according to 2012 data, 28.4% of Nigerians are users of the world wide net ¹¹), caused a lively discussion among Nigerians.

In interviews, musicians who did not participate in the event began to disapprove of its organizers, accusing them of corruption. So, the musician is a Yoruba Olubanhole Wellington, known in the musical community under the pseudonym Benny Wee (Eng. Vappu W), said that many people received offers for a fairly large amount of money to help one of the presidential candidates in the campaign.

Seung Kuti, the son of F. A. Kuti, an afrobeat musician and public figure, also expressed his position on musicians who supported a particular candidate, rather sharply, calling them "traitors": "Anyone who uses their music to support politicians is a traitor. First of all, they betray the music, and secondly-the country " ¹².

S. Kuti notes that the powerful musical tradition of "afrobit", when music challenged politicians, is forgotten by modern performers. Seun and Femi Kuti, the sons of F. A. Kuti, create protest music without showing any interest in collaborating with any political parties and movements, continuing the line of their father, who has been in opposition to the ruling regimes throughout his life.

Nigerian presidential election, April 2011 they showed that music is a powerful ideological weapon in the course of political struggle. Songs, while entertaining, are both able to convey a message (and information), and are easy to remember, which is extremely important in conditions of a rather low level of education of the population (63% of the country's population is covered by primary education) ^.13 The voter often does not rely on their own political beliefs and views (mainly due to their lack of them), absorbs information from the media, but is even more guided by the opinion of celebrities.

* * *

In a country where the average age of residents is 19 years ¹⁴, the main part of the electorate is made up of young people who are receptive to the opinions of their idols. The 2011 presidential elections and the active participation of musicians, including those from Yorubaland, indicate that the status of a musician is particularly important in political life, and politicians, in order to expand the list of their voters, try to cooperate with successful performers among young people.

^{Ajibade G.O.} 1 Abiku songs in Yoruba land - http://www.uni-hildesheim.de/ntama/index.php?option=com_content&view-article&id= 167%3Aabiku-songs-in-yoruba-land&catid= 66%3Aarticles&Itemid-29&showall-1

^{Karpovich K.} 2 Talkative Yoruba drums / / Asia and Africa today. 1967, N 9. (Karpovich K. 1967. Govoryashchiye barabany Yoruba // Aziya i Afrika segodnya. N 9) (in Russian)

^{Titus O.S., Bello O.A.} 3 Musical forms in songs for political mobilisation during 2011 general elections in Nigeria // International Journal of Humanities and Social Science. 2012. Vol. 2, N 13, p. 168.

⁴ Nigeria. Spravochno-monograficheskoe izdanie [Reference and monographic publication] / ed. by I. G. Bolshov, T. Sdenisova, Moscow, IAfr RAS, 2013, p. 79. (2013. Nigeria. Spravochno-monograficheskoe izdanie / I.G.Bolshova, T.S.Denisova (eds). M.) (in Russian)

^{Titus O.S., Bello O.A.} 5 Op. cit., p. 172.

⁶ "I believe in Goodluck" - Official Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Theme Song -http://www.youtube.com/watch7v-QMOgT 8NcS8s

⁷ Results of the 2011 presidential election - http://nigeriaelections.org/ presidential.php

⁸ D'banj and President Goodluck Jonathan - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60yoz5 HtFY

⁹ The Politics of "Our Time" -https://www.facebook.com/note.php7note_id -10150113896423148

¹⁰ Goodluck by D'banj? http://kunledurojaiye.com/2011/03/17/goodl uck-by-dbanj

¹¹ TOP 20 countries with the highest number of Internet users - http://www.in-ternetworldstats.com/top20.htm

^{Duffield C.} 12 Are Nigeria's musicians selling out? - http://www.bbc.com/ news/world-africa-11950054

¹³ Nigeria. Reference and monographic edition.., p. 294.

¹⁴ Average age of the population by country - http://ru.worldstat.info/World/ List_of_countries_by_Total_median_age

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