| Title: | Digitising Indigenous Music in Nigeria for Contemporary Relevance |
| Author(s): | Aloysius Chukwuebuka IFEANYICHUKWU, Stephen Afam Kenechukwu & Christopher Okon |
| Abstract: | This study investigated how producers of indigenous music have keyed into today’s prevalent digital culture using the case of a renowned masquerade in Igboland known as Ajofia. By its nature, traditional institutions like masquerade are known for its sacredness and resistance to foreign corruptions. However in these modern times, traditional community leaders and indigenous culture scholars have come to realize that to stay relevant and prevent misrepresentations, traditional cultures must also be reflected in the current technological revolution. Using the qualitative approach of interview the researcher attempted to gain insight into how Ajofia masquerade songs has transformed from being folk songs sang at festivals and ceremonies to being hosted in different internet and social media platforms. Purposively the researchers formally interviewed two key associates of Ajofia masquerade to ascertain their motive for embracing the digital culture and the extent to which that decision has helped their objectives. Findings from the study revealed that digitizing indigenous music portends more benefit than loss to the indigenous society. Some of the reasons adduced for digitizing indigenous music include; maintaining contemporary relevance, cultural preservation and transmission, and income generation. |
| Keywords: | digitising, indigenous, music, relevance, contemporary |
