DIDACTICS IN IGBO MINSTRELSY: CHRISTOPHER OKONKWO ASAH IN PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

As food of the soul, music remains a veritable instrument for transformation. Music is used to pass crucial information, impart knowledge, soothe emotions, and affect lives. Four decades after the death of Christopher Okonkwo Asah (Seven Seven), this paper seeks to take a historical look at his life as a minstrel, who through the art of minstrelsy provided his audience with music that conveys moral messages. Comparing his music with that of the present day popular musicians and minstrels, the researcher came to a conclusion that music making for many is no longer about moral education but just to make money and market oneself for popularity. While pointing out the reasons why the situation is like that, he made recommendations for possible revitalization of Igbo minstrelsy as an avenue of teaching and counseling.