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.