MORIAMO BY Q.DOT: A REVIEW BY HASHIM YUSSUF AMAO


I have written reviews on books; I have written on movies. Howbeit, no song(s) of a musician - dead or alive - had stung my emotion so intensely till I am left with no option than to unsheathe my pen from its cap and make it dance to a review. Moriamo by Q.Dot will be the first.

The empathetic song from the "Apala-centric" act, Fakoya Qudus Oluwadamilare (Q.Dot), is an ageless music with a deep message that pierced through the soul, easily. The emotion-arresting song narrates Qudus’ childhood memories with his Paternal Grandmum - a memory that rouse through chains of pains. It was a big bud with its rhythm, but became a bigger bang when the emotions knocked and preyed on those helpless lines.

The masterpiece could have been enough for a PhD thesis; thanks to Q.Dot's choice of words which had summed up everything into a 3minutes and 32seconds track. The "Alomo meta" crooner beautified it with nice flow that made it more soothing to the ears.

His paternal Grandmum, Moriamo, a daughter of Adefi at Oke Iresi was presented as a resourceful grandmother and a worthy matriarch who had meddled into the altercations his parents, Adio and Folasade, had. "Ìyá àti bàbà mi tijá ótipẹ́. Kín tó wà aiyé ni wón ti wọn óle fẹ́rawọn. Okùn ẹbí tó já Welder kan òle so" in line 9 and 10 of the song was poignant to the intensity of the quarrel his dad and mum had which led to their separation.

Bearing the brunt of the separation of his parents, Qudus’ responsibility dawned on his Grandmum, who would give her all, just to feed Qudus and make him happy.

“Mi ò gbàgbé e oko Aládó lọ́nà Erúgbàbú
Oko obì yí ni Grandma ti fọ́ lójú kan
Bóyá nítorí obì tó má tà ní múrí kan
Ìyá yí tún padà s'óko tàdá tòun tokọ́ ni
Orí mi awú tó bá pè mí ní ọkọ mi"

The lines above depict her hopelessness but unyielding zeal to putting meal on the family’s table. In spite of her old age, she became a woman with green fingers, who would do all on the farm of Alado, at Erugbabu just to exhilarate Qudus. Her most energy was directed at planting Kolanut, which she would later sell at a token amount of #20, from which she, Qudus, and other siblings get fed.

Went that way, they were living from hand to mouth.
Each days comes with new worries that provoke their silent tears. Moriamo was on farm one day when an unforeseen sadness swept over her; she had just lost one of her eyes. "Oko yìí ni Grandma ti fọ́ lójú kan". Qudus could not contain the hot streak of tears that made its journey down his cheeks. Losing an eye, when two couldn't even save them from unfriendly hunger, deteriorated their condition. Tragic!

The remaining blood which hid when Moriamo lost her eyes finally bled when she and little Damilare had an accident on their way to the farm, along Ishagamu. Her unfettered love for Qudus unveiled more as she left her injuries and was only after the safety of Qudus, shouting in her paled voice, "Damilare, pls help carry him. “An padà sóko ni motor Jáàmú. Ahh ómàṣe, Ìyá bá ń pariwo Damilare, ọmọ olómo ni e bá ń gbe". It was at this point the little Damilare knew it wasn't Mariamo who birthed him; she only bred him. What more the woman could have done to present herself as a rare blessing is what I do not know.

The curtain of death, unfortunately, drew near Moriamo, who would order Qudus to stay out so the little boy wouldn't be aware of her departure. Qudus returned to the room only to found his source of hope lying and sprawling on the floor. Fear gripped him as he went out, shouting his Dad's name, "Adio, come and see your mum lying helplessly on the floor". The death of Moriamo was finally pronounced, which sank Qudus, his little brothers - Shifa'u and Mutairu - and other relatives in pool of tears. Sadness rented the air, and it went on. On the third day, Moriamo was consigned to the Mother Earth amidst tears. And that ended the bumpy ride of a heart-robbing, mind-boggling and captivating specimen of creation whose legacy would linger forever in the memory of the Yabaleft Alumnus.

While I hope Q.Dot fulfil 'his promise to narrate Moriamo's story to his kids', I pray Moriamo's soul and that of the righteous mothers continue to rest in everlasting peace. Aameen.



Born and bred in Ibadan, Hashim Yussuf Amao is a Graduate of University of Ilorin.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CN-7bJ3jpuU/?utm_medium=copy_link

cc: lalasticlala seun mynd444 airmark

This is front page worthy✓

KingAttitude:
This is front page worthy✓

Yes

lalasticlala mynd444 seun kindly push this to front page, appreciate this sound piece.

Nice one

I think you should review duro