The Traditional Setting of Chief Umobuarie Igberaese

Creator, propagator, exponent and legend of afan media, Chief Umobuarie Igberaese commenced his career on the afan in Esan, Nigeria, in 1912 at the age of ten. He died on December 10, 2001.

Afan is enjoyed by kings, lords, warriors, nobles, aristocrats, plebeans, widows, orphans, slaves as well as the literate and the non-literate.

He was described by David Umobuarie - banker, lecturer and author of Black Justice - as "...a compendium of Esan culture, tradition and usages...."

In 1922, at the age of ten, Chief Umobuarie Igberaese learnt to play the afan; an instrument he made famous for professional story telling and entertainment. Thereafter, he transformed it to a legendary art which has become a rallying point amongst the people of Esan in the West African sub region.

Umobuarie was born in 1912. He started his career on the afan ten years later. His father, Igberaese, lived in his ancestral home Idoa, Ekpoma, with his wife, Enemare, who had given birth to four male children who did not survive. Each child had died as soon as it was weaned. Although soothsayers had predicted relief, the matter soon became unbearable. Consequently, when Enemare became pregnant again, she travelled to Idunwele village on the instruction of her mother-in-law. The latter, being a native of Idunwele in Ewu had warned Enemare against the danger of remaining in Idoa with that pregnancy.

There, in Idunwele-Ewu, Enemare stayed in the household of her mother in-law’s uncle, Ubene, who was then the village Chief Priest. It was in this household in 1912that a male child was born to the Igberaese’s. The child was named Umobuarie, which means “Death has nothing to take from here”.

Incidentally, Chief Umobuarie Igberaese was an only child who later became an orphan. His father died before he was born while his mother followed suit immediately after childbirth. Therefore, he was under the care and supervision of Ubene and his family. Consequently, Umobuarie became a sojourner in Idunwele by reason of his birth.

Therefore, since he did not have the opportunity of experiencing any formal education, his medium of communication was Esan. In spite of that, afan music was greatly demanded for by recording studios.

INTRODUCTION

It is my desire to draw global interest and attention to the afan, which is now an archive comprising of over fifty thousand songs, proverbs, folklore, and epics useful for cross-media development.

Afan is a prominent indigenous musical instrument in Esan community, Edo Central Senatorial District of Nigeria, in Western Africa. Afan faces the threat of extinction occasioned by the lack of a competent player since its renowned propagator and exponent of 80 years died in 2001.

It is my perception that a time will present itself in the unknown future when the world will crave for original information on the afan, a time that this blog will be both relevant and invaluable. A product of close inquiry and observation, this blog presents the main facts about afan within the context of its traditional setting. Without this information, an understanding of the culture in relation to the development of afan, would be inhibited.

In 1922, at the age of ten, Chief Umobuarie Igberaese learnt to play the afan, which he made famous for professional story-telling and entertainment. Thereafter, he transformed it to a legendary art which has become a rallying point amongst Esan community in Western Africa both at home and in the Diaspora.

Chief Umobuarie Igberaese was born in 1912 as an only child who later became an orphan. His father died before he was born while his mother passed on immediately after childbirth.

He had no formal education.