basty: Three years before Rosa Parks' bus boycott, Nigerian drummer Babatunde Olatunji protested against racial segregation in the southern states of America. He was part of a generation of Africans who played an important role in the fight for racial justice in the US - and continue to do so, writes the BBC's Aaron Akinyemi. "The leaders in the 50s and 60s provide me with a great deal of inspiration," Nigerian-American activist Opal Tometi, co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement, told the BBC.
When Martin Luther King Jr delivered his historic I Have a Dream speech during the March on Washington 57 years ago, around 250,000 people attended the event, including prominent figures such James Baldwin, Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier.
Among the guests was perhaps a slightly more unexpected figure - Nigerian drummer Babatunde Olatunji.
Born in 1927 to a Yoruba family in Lagos state, Olatunji won a scholarship to study at Morehouse College in Atlanta in 1950. He became a pioneering drummer, releasing 17 studio albums, including his 1959 debut Drums of Passion, widely credited with helping to introduce the West to "world music".
Despite Olatunji's enduring musical legacy, which includes a Grammy nomination and compositions for Broadway and Hollywood, his civil rights advocacy is less well known. "He was committed to social activism throughout his life," says Robert Atkinson, who collaborated with Olatunji on his autobiography The Beat of My Drum, which was published in 2005, two years after his death.
"He really deserves to be remembered more for his role as a political activist in the US civil rights movement - before it was even a movement."
Pride in African culture As a Morehouse student, Olatunji encountered ignorance and stereotypes about Africa and strove to educate his fellow students about the continent's music and cultural traditions. He started playing African music at university social gatherings and gave drumming demonstrations at both black and white churches across Atlanta.
Baba sparked a deep sense of pride among African Americans by strongly promoting images of African culture, which in a subtle but significant way, helped set in motion the currents of the early civil rights movement," Atkinson says.
At a time of state-sanctioned racial segregation in the US, Olatunji quickly became acutely aware of racism, and began organising students to challenge so-called "Jim Crow" laws in the south.
In 1952, three years before Rosa Parks helped spark the Montgomery Bus Boycott in Alabama, Olatunji staged his own protests on public buses in the south.
On one occasion, he and a group of students boarded a racially segregated bus in Atlanta wearing traditional African clothes and were allowed to sit anywhere they wanted because they were not identified as African Americans, who had to sit at the back.
Quote box. Iyafin Ammiebelle Olatunji: "He saw himself as a pan-Africanist who always reached out to unify Africans and African Americans" The next day, they boarded the same bus in their Western clothing and refused to sit in the back when ordered to do so by the bus driver. Olatunji and his friends continued to challenge segregation in this way despite the threat of prison.
"We started the protest quietly," he later recalled of the incident. "We were part and parcel of the struggle for freedom in the early 1950s."
Meeting Martin Luther King and Malcolm X Olatunji's widow, 89-year-old Iyafin Ammiebelle Olatunji, told the BBC that he was called in to "ease the tensions in various communities", such as during the aftermath in 1965 of deadly riots in the predominately black neighbourhood of Watts in Los Angeles. "He saw himself as a pan-Africanist who always reached out to unify Africans and African Americans," she said.
L-R: Babatunde Olatunji and Malcolm X at an event in Harlem, New York, the US - 1 October 1960IMAGE COPYRIGHTGETTY IMAGES image captionBabatunde Olatunji attending an event in Harlem with Malcolm X to mark Nigeria's independence from the UK on 1 October 1960
Olatunji became a president of the Morehouse student body, which led to him meeting many early civil rights leaders in the 1950s, including Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X. His involvement in the US civil rights movement was strongly inspired by the wave of anti-colonial resistance movements sweeping across Africa during the 1950s and 1960s - of which he was a part.
In 1958, he travelled to Accra to attend the All African People's Conference organised by Ghana's independence leader Kwame Nkrumah.
The conference brought together leading independence figures and delegates from 28 African countries and colonies to strategise their opposition to European colonialisation.
popplm: This is a nutritious meat that sustained most homes in my home town during the 1983 crisis and military government austerity that led to famine. Its called "kánnì" in my l9cal language and I don't know what it's called in English. Do you know this creature and what is it called in your local language?
@popplm, What 1983 crisis are you talking about here?
Whoa! I never knew such a delicacy exists in Yoruba cuisine or indeed Nigerian cuisine as I can see Nupes, Idomas, and more on this thread all giving local names for this food. I would love to taste it out of curiosity if it's well prepared one day.
APOPTOSIS: U nailed it. I have lived Abroad for years now. I detest it when Nigerians abroad complain too much. That your neighbor in Nigeria is leaving doesn't mean you should join the bandwagon. Rather cross examine your lifestyle in Nigeria and see if the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand will be befitting for you.
The United States for example is not as lawless as most African countries, hence the reason people mind their businesses. IF a woman is interested in you in the US, you have to compel her to call you more. This is for record keeping, else if you do she can slam you with harassment if she has got an ulterior motive. If you are very humble & serious-minded person with no single trace of greed, then the US doors are opened, however if the reverse is the case, Abeg I take God beg you, remain for Naija. No come destroy ur record.
kunle75: I will tell you for a fact,that things are sometimes very tough and overwhelming here in America. After many years I Visited Naija for the first time in June 2023 ,and return to base same month. I went back straight to my academic program which is full time, Imagine leaving home 6.30am and start school 7am till 2.30pm then drove straight to work and closed by 11pm ,then got home 11.40pm,eat and start fixing my assignments, then sleep for only 2hrs if possible? When will I have time to read my messages and return them.bills are waiting for me everywhere, my tuition is over $4k for each semester plus other bills,like rent,insurance, medical, credit card,feeding, gas,phone,etc.
kpaminose: There are tons of Ika songs you can get on youtube. Main Ika cultural music groups. those are the main Ika cultural groups but there are also many Ika highlife musicians like Ambassador Joel, Felix Ogbekile, Gabriel Ogbekile, Ike Spaco, Iron Lady (She's now trying to sing in Igbo though her Igbo is laughable because she actually can't sing in it) and many others.
kpaminose: GREAT IKA ,TRAIL BLAZERS IN THE PAST 100 PLUS -
This is a copied post but it's meant to both eulogize the Ika Nation and for people that believe that Ika bears 90% Igbo names and surnames to come show the 90% Igbo surnames.
I'm sure some people that only see everything as Igbo will start translating every word and every names to Igbo.
1. Edward anuku , who in the 1950,s became one of the ika person to become a minister in the western region , he was a junior minister..he was from owa-oyibu 2. obika gbenoba the obi or dein of agbor was also one of the first ministers in western region ,he was a minister without portfolio , along with the oba of benin and the olu of warri..the obi and anuku were the first ika people to become ministers. 3. prof. osunhon of umunede was a minister too ,later in the midwest region . 4. ivie- jegbefume of abavo was also minister of education in midwest region.
5. obi agborbu of agbor and obi hezekiah oboh efeizomor of owa were the first two obis in ika , that the british trainned in benin , for local govt. education in 1913. 6. commodore anuku of owa was the first nigerian naval officer to be trainned abroad in england and he later became commander of biafran navy 7. obi steven ikoko obaigbena of owa was the first educated king in owa and he was also the first obi of owa to convert to christianity ,he also established the first primary school in owa in 1913. 8. mr . oka orewa from agbor was also a local govt administrator in the old western region and the first leader of the ika ethnic group .he was from agbor 9. joe orewa from agbor was the first ika world bantam weight boxing champion . 10. sir fortune ebie was the former leader of ika ethnic organisation called onu-ika ,he is from agbor and he was the first nigerian to become a director of survey in nigeria, after the british 11. mr . jim- ovia is the first ika man to become managing director of a major bank called zenith and he is also one of the richest business men in nigeria , and a major player in tele-comms and oil,he is from agbor.
12. . prince nduka obaigbena is from owa -oyibu and he is the first ika man to own a national conglomerate in the media, he is publisher of this day 13. mr steve bamidele omojafor is from agbor and he was the first ika man to head a muli-national advert agency in nigeria 14. iwerebor is from owa and he was the first african to head longman ,an international book publishing firm 15. chief humphrey iwerebor from owa-oyibu -the late political guru from ika , he was a political godfather in delta . 16. chief nduka -irabor from owa-oyibu was the first ika person to become a chief press secreatary to the second in command of a military junta . 17. simeon ebonka from owa-alizomor was the first ika person to become a deputy governor . 18. prince sam obi ,was the first ika person to become an acting governor 19. martins okonta of abavo ,was also a speaker in delta house of assembly 20. chief festus okunbor of ute-okpu was the first ika person to become chief of staff. 21. general usiade from owa ,-oyibuwas the first ika person to become , director of army finance . 22. general ugo buzugbe- from owa- oyibu , became the first ika to be secretary of nigerian army
. 23. ugbaja from owa-alizomor ,was the first ika person to become a deputy inspector general of police. 24..real admiral patrick agholor from agbor is the first ika man to become commandant national defence college.
25. senator ifeanyi okowa from owa -alero is the first ika and anioma executive governor of delta state. 26. doris uboh from agbor was a former member of house of reps . 27. victor nwokolo from igbodo is a member of house of reps . 28. dr cairo ojougbor is the first ika person to become chairman of a major political party in south south zone under PDP . 29. OBI efeizomor of owa ,became the first highly educated monarch in ika land ,after studying abroad and bagging a doctorate degree. 30. dein of agbor , kiagborekuzi ,became the worlds youngest monarch and the youngest pro-chancellor in africa. 31. obi steven osagie of akumazi is the longest reigning ika monarch in modern times .he took over in 1957 32. obi -efeizomor of owa is the second longest reigning monarch in ika , having ascended the throne in 1959. 33. obi eboigbodin - igbeoba of owa was the first iand only ika king , to confront the british in a full scale war , in 1906 , the war was fought for 57 days . 34. the ojeba of agbor queen victoria is from ozanogogo and the mother of dein of agbor ,is the first ika woman to be commissioner for 2 terms .other people can supply us with other information and names too , i dont know it all ,
Firstlady25: Ghanaian hiplife singer Prince Bright has released another hit single titled "Thunder", featuring Fante rapper, Pappy Kojo. The release is yet another example of Prince Bright's mastery of the arts, filled with percussions of Afrobeat and will definitely captivate listeners with its lively rhythm, intriguing lyrics, and timeless theme
After capturing the airwaves with popular hits alongside A-listers like Sarkodie, Kuami Eugene, KiDi, and more over the past three years, Prince Bright's talent for creating unforgettable bangers continues to be undeniable. His exhilarating new track "Thunder" will further solidify his presence in the industry.
It combines smooth vocals with the foolproof bars from two-time Ghana Music Awards winner Pappy Kojo, creating a passionate party anthem that celebrates the beauty of the African woman.
With catchy lines like "Your baka be thunder, ebe Bugatti fender, If I look the way e dey go, I for prepare agenda," listeners are sure to enjoy the infectious hook and sensual lyrics that make 'Thunder' an instant hit.
In a statement, Prince Bright noted , "Creating 'Thunder' was an electrifying experience. It's a celebration of the beauty and energy of African women. Working with Pappy Kojo brought an extra spark to the collaboration, and I believe this track will set the airwaves ablaze."
Pappy Kojo echoed the sentiment, stating, "Teaming up with Prince Bright on 'Thunder' was like catching lightning in a bottle. The synergy between our styles is magical, and I'm excited for fans to experience the energy we've infused into this track. It's pure dynamite!"
Produced by Skonti and distributed across media platforms by Prime Music Partners, the new song is now available for streaming and download on all major digital platforms.
Cooolme: I have a stepsister living abroad, the daughter of my mom. She's been there since childhood, raised by her father, and has become independent.
Despite the physical distance, she has been supportive, particularly to my mom. Although she occasionally sends money to my mom, it's never quite enough for her.
I share a unique bond with her; we've always been close, even during her visit. The last time she sent me money was during my 100 level when things were tough. However, my focus shifted from financial help to maintaining a connection with her.
Recently, I noticed a change. Since July, she has been snubbing my messages, a puzzling behavior considering I don't seek financial assistance. I've made it a point to check on her regularly, something she mentioned our mom doesn't do. At my level now if she needs money I can even send for her but her recent attitude has totally changed my mind towards her. I'm contemplating blocking her and ending contact, as it seems that's what she wants.
It's a challenging situation, and I'm curious if anyone here has experienced anything similar.
She could be busy with financial pressures or going through some emotional challenges and wants some space like a lot of folks do from time to time.
Get you mother to contact her directly to know if your half-sibling is safe. She wouldn't ignore your mother. Once it is confirmed that your sister is safe, then let your mother inform your sister about how important it is to keep the line of communication open between you and your sibling over video calls or emails.
Then just simply lay back and let things flow normally while building your own career path like you've started doing. She'll come around eventually.
PoliteActivist: Sade and Seal are not really Nigerians in the sense Davido is, neither did they play music in any way Nigerian. They both grew up in UK. Seal was born in London
I understand your POV or sentiments here but I have a contrarian view as an OG.
The past multiple-Grammy Awards winners, Sade Adu, Seal and Chamilionaire are of Nigerian descent. Two British-Nigerians and one Nigerian-American. They have all NEVER denied their Yoruba roots and links to Nigeria in many interviews. Davido too is a Nigerian-American!
Infact I remember watching Sade Adu on national TV back in 1986 when she visited Nigeria for her father's funeral and she told the journalists (who interviewed her at the International Airport in Lagos) that it was great to be back to Nigeria.
Seal also visited Lagos State 2 years ago with his first son from the German super model, Heidi Klum and he also told journalists at Femi Kuti's shrine in Ikeja, Lagos that he brought his son from America to come and know his roots in Nigeria. Seal was born in London like you accurately said but he came back to live in Nigeria and finally left Lagos Island, his hometown in 1979 with his British passport to seek for greener pastures in the UK and studied architecture.
Sade Adu and her older brother Banji were infact born in the late 1950s in Ibadan to a White English mother who was a nurse and a father from Ikere-Ekiti who was a Professor of Economics and a graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science. Sade's parents first met in England.
Davido himself is a Nigerian-American and was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1992 to a Yoruba father and to Imade Adeleke, a delectable Bini woman and an academic from Edo State who worked with Bowen University.
lekanation: Ebunoluwa na edo name abi Bose? Ogulu na edo name too? Asking because I don't know
Yup! Ebunoluwa and Bose are Yoruba names derived from Burna Boy's maternal side. Ogulu on the other hand is a family name from the Engenni people in Ahoada West who are a relatively small ethnicity in Rivers State where Burna Boy's father originally hails from.
While Burna Boy's maternal grandfather who was Fela's iconic music Manager is originally from Edo State (Otuo in Owan East to be precise).
Raskimonojendor: Burna's mum: Bose (a child born on Sunday) Burna boy: EbunOluwa (gift from God)
are all Yoruba names. His grandmother is Yoruba.
Ah, I get it now from the screenshot you attached... Burna Boy's maternal grandmother is a Yoruba woman.
There was a discussion here on NL on the history of Rivers State ethnicities indicating that Burna Boy's father's ancestral folks come from the relatively small Engenni ethnicity in Ahoada West (domiciled close to the Ijaws) that is of Edo origin or migration from a few centuries back.
Raskimonojendor: The grammy code has been cracked for a while.
Grammy Nominations and Wins:
Henry Olusegun Adeola Samuel, a k.a Seal - win
Sade Adu - win
Hakeem Seriki (Chamillionaire) - win
Olalekan Babalola - win
Sikiru Adepoju -win
Kevin Olusola - win
Babatunde Olatunji - win
Angélique Kidjo - win
Burna boy (Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu) - win
Sunday Adegeye (aka KSA)
Seun Kuti
Femi Kuti
Tems (Temilade Openiyi) - win
Wizkid (Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun) - win
Ayra starr (Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe)
Olamide
Asake (Ahmed Ololade)
Davido (David Adeleke)
Smackdown! Yorubas of Nigerian descent in the global entertainment industry have been very stellar... winning the Grammy Awards multiple times since Folasade Adu (whose Professor of Economics father is from Ikere-Ekiti) won it in grand style in 1986. SEAL, Chamilionaire and others then followed.
Bose Ogulu's iconic biological father (Benson Idonije) is originally from Otuo in Owan East in Edo State. He was Fela Anikulapo-Kuti's music Manager so the whole family grew up and lived in Lagos State (or Yorubaland), so they speak fluent Yoruba as well. Raymond Dokpesi also hailed from Agenebode, in Edo but was born in Ibadan and so was very fluent in Yoruba with a Russian wife and two Ijebu wives from Ogun and Lagos States.
During the interview on Hitz FM, the music executive claimed that some Ghanaian singers are better than their Nigerian counterparts, but are less visible because Nigerians are loud.
He also stated that Ghanaian singer, Stonebwoy did everything possible to get a spot in the Grammy nomination list but couldn’t because Nigerians are more visible and have bought out the American market which he claims is controlled by money.
#wetindeyhappentv
Reggie Rockstone, Sarkordie and other Ghanaian rappers are dope though. I love the way they rap in solid Twi, Fante and English.
SIRTee15: Can u submit a chaptgpt generated article as assignment I'm any academic institutions?
I use chatgpt a lot. It's so bland, monotonous, vague and predictable. It lacks the detailed and specificity u want for a researched answer.
There was a time I became interested in Nigerian music industry the early colonial period especially the 1920s. Chatgpt just came up with some general and vague answers about the Nigerian music industry in general. It couldn't cone down into the 1920s I wanted.
@SIRTee15,
The last ChatGPT update was in 2021 so it indeed doesn't bring up current or real-time events and as you said it is limited in bringing up specific answers from the 1920s about Nigeria if the right prompts are not used. I too still prefer to used advanced search terms on Google for drlliing down to get information from the past. Again if you don't use the right combination of ChatGPT search prompts or commands, you will continue to get general and vague results.
I love ChatGPT though because once you use the correct PROMPTS, you can easily drill down further by querying the answers ChatGPT gives you and so on.
NOTE: If you can search online for free PDFs and YouTube videos on "ChatGPT PROMPT tutorials," I'm certain that you will get more ideas on how to drill down and get the specifics on the Nigerian music industry in the 1920s and 1930s early colonial era.
I once saw a full 30-minutes documentary years back on the origin of highlife music in Nigeria and how it originally was brought to Lagos Island from Gold Coast (now Ghana). Nigerians then took it to another level and created their own vibes with Nigerian highlife right up to the era of the iconic Orlando Julius Ekemode, Fela Kuti's Koola Lobitos, Rex Lawson, etc.
That's awesome! Congratulations to the Lt. Colonel from Kankia in Katsina State.
That's the professional army or military officer that is needed in Nigeria and this must be sustained across all ranks... NOT coup plotters and military khaki politicians of especially the horrendous and very corrupt IBB and Abacha years of brutal military dictatorship.
ThomasGitHub: Fun Fact: Do you know that Naira went from N257 for $1 in 2016, to N361 for $1 in 2018.
Making Naira loss 40% of it's value in the process.
And this will immediately cause the prices of goods in Nigeria to increase, because Nigeria imports most of it's goods if not all of them (including Oil) using US dollar, which they bought with a devalued Naira. Thereby causing prices of goods and services in Nigeria to skyrocket.
This means that the purchasing power of your money and your savings have just lost it's value. And whenever you want to buy anything in Nigeria you will be paying at high price (inflation price). Because prices of things have increased due to dollar used in the importation of goods.
Ex: You will spend N250,000 to buy 1,000 bags of water. And when Naira crash, it will reflect on prices of goods after some months, and You will spend N500,000 to buy the same 1,000 bags of water.
Thereby making you poorer. And draining your account.
This phenomenon repeats itself whenever Naira crashes.
While rich people (politicians & banks) at the other hand buy dollar with Naira, store most of their money in dollars, and when Naira crashes, they sell and profit on Naira crash.
Thereby making them richer. And the money in their account increases.
This phenomenon repeats itself whenever Naira crashes.
NairaSign Newsletter collect prices of Naira to dollar from the internet on time, and alert you when it's high or low.
Newsletter Subscription Fee: N5,000(Monthly)
Newsletter Subscription Fee is monthly, and you can cancel anytime because we know you will never cancel (why would you cancel what that is making you money?).
Start taking advantage of Naira crash against dollar just like everyone else is doing.
ThomasGitHub: As unemployment is high in Nigeria, many Nigerians are traveling outside the country to get job and take care of their families back home.
dorobybaby: Infact, the language was a tug of war. If you don't understand or speak you will definitely pay for it in one way or the other. Lots of benefits for the kids that we have missed. Until you find someone who would tell you all, you might not have access to all. But now, we are in the system. As per feeding, when you are in Portugal, you do not worry about food. Food is cheap. I made a video on that on YouTube. Bayobi show is the channel's name
dorobybaby: The journey began when my husband began sourcing for foreign school(scholarship). Lo and behold he got admission but no scholarship, so he turned them down. One of his friends who have been talking to him about Portugal advised him to apply to portugal but he practically refused because of the language barrier and again he wanted a country where he felt he could make it easily. Finally, hubby applied after much convincing that he would get funding when he gets the admission. At last he got admission but no funding, although he applied for one. One fateful day, hubby got a mail that an interview have been scheduled in the next 2days. Immediately, he got himself prepared and most especially got a very good Internet to avoid stories that touch. After some days the result were published and hubby came out 2nd on the list and the department needed just one person, so hubby missed that. We were so bittered after all the preparation and all of that. But his friend kept encouraging him to continue with the visa application that when he gets to Portugal he would definitely get funding. That was how the process began, the financial statements was a big issue. Where are we going to find one? Who do we know? All these questions flew to us, but one thing was certain this time around. Hubby had faith that could move mountain, he had made up his mind to get to Portugal. At last, he got one of his Oga, at the office to give him his statement of account letter and also a letter to back it up that he would sponsor his education (know that it is not a must to pay school fees before leaving Nigeria). So finally, he applied for his visa after all the normal documentations. Hmm.... the worst happened, after we had sold our landed properties so as to boost his own account statement. HE WAS DENIED!!! Before he got the news of the denial, he was fortunate or should I say privileged to get the number of the "then" consular, who he asked to check the status of the visa. So after the consular confirmed it and saw that he was denied, hubby asked him for his best advice, so he told him to appeal but before he could submit he was invited for another interview and this time, he got it. Finally, he got the visa and moved to Portugal. When he got to Portugal, he got a far date for his appointment in order to process his resident permit, fortunately for him, he was able to bring the date forward. Fast forward, after 5months of getting to Portugal, he invited us using Schengen visa. That was how we all (myself and the kids) moved to Portugal and finally started a masters progam. The very first day I got to Portugal, I fell in love with the country and until now. My love for the country, they are nice, friendly and accommodating people. God bless Portugal
I saw a video where people where debating on where this surfing was taking place & some people where saying lagos 🤣🤣 not knowing it was in enugu state.
This is also enugu state 🔥
_ Igbo congratulations rufai unilag pamilerin layi Netflix and alcohol minister of power pic.twitter.com/6CpLotLcof
SIRTee15: There's nothing special about chaptgpt. It's just an app that helps summarise Google search. Sincerely I don't see it's benefit over Wikipedia.
Wikipedia has a very dark side to it because the entries easily get vandalized or re-edited and used for spreading propaganda, defamation and fake news especially under the politics and history sections.
This is the reason why the Wikipedia founders issued a disclaimer on their site that folks should beware of vandalisms in entries and also, academic institutions worldwide do NOT accept citations or references lifted from Wikipedia by students.
Politics › Re: The Nigerian Drummer Who Set The Beat For US Civil Rights by Swiftgrp: 9:05pm On Nov 18, 2023
