BLESSING TAIWO
A group of artists, Lagos Sound Artists Collective (LSAC), says the use of rhythm will help Nigerians ease off pain described as ‘normalised suffering’ in the country.
At a programme tagged ‘Echoes and Balance’ organised by LSAC in collaboration with J. Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History, the benefits of pleasant sounds were emphasised.
The event was a communal sonic journey, aimed at creating a communal space where sound is a tool for emotional release and social reflection.
Speaking, one of the sound artists in LSAC, Tosin Oyebisi stated that the event is beyond entertainment with an objective to offer a meditative and transformative experience rooted in the current realities of Nigerians.
“We didn’t want to impose a story. Everyone is carrying something – pain, bills, traffic, school fees – and we’ve gotten used to it.
“But through the sound, we’re helping people let it out, reflect and find balance,” he said.
J Randle’s Centre Director, Qudus Onikeku, explained that the experience for the audience was not sound as in information but sound as material.
He said the sound itself was the message.
“Whatever it is that you feel, that is your personal experience.
“So if you feel angry, if you feel confused, feel shocked, you feel sad, you feel happy, you feel outraged, whatever it is you feel, that is the point of this.
“In that sound, in that sonic experience that you are having, a lot of internal transformation or internal conversation is happening in the mind of the listener.
“That conversation is germinated from the listener’s own experience and life,” he said.
Another sound artist from LSAC, Olatunde Obajeun, said the creation of the group was a collaborative effort to promote sound artists globally.
Obajeun said, “People need to be aware of it, and people pay for what they know in this part of world.”
He expressed optimism that the performance, and subsequent ones, would help build the audience.
The performance combined indigenous instruments including agogo, dundun, djembe, different bata drums with cymbals, body percussion and modern sound machines.
The sonic journey refers to an experience or journey that is centered around sound, whether through music, soundscapes, or immersive sound meditations. It is often with the intention of cultivating a quiet mind, energised soul, and relaxed body.
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