For Oliver De Coque, the story was different. He carved a
strong niche for himself, a dress sense that cannot be anyone’s, a mastery of
all musical instruments including the mouth organ, guitar; upon which he had a
dexterity on and also the band and several others. To youths of today, music is
a stepping stone to wealth and fame, but to Oliver, music was a means of
entertaining others and also passing useful messages and at the same time
making them happy. No wonder, Oliver started playing music at a tender age, at
a time when there was ‘nothing’ to be proud of in being a musician. Musicians
back in the days were seen as lay-abouts and never-do-wells, and above all,
deviants who extol promiscuity. In the case of Oliver, he was only a youngster
as at the time he started making music, and the last thing in his mind was fame
or money, but to enjoy himself. He continued in what he did and wealth and fame
eventually smiled down on him.
In this year’s tribute to Oliver De Coque, just as in other
years, I travelled from Awka to his home town, Ezinifitte, Nnewi South Local
government of Anambra State to see what change has occurred since last year,
but I will not also dwell on how
forgotten or how defamed the music star has further been. I have done so in the
previous years and even urged his state’s government headed by Chief Peter Obi
and Chief Willie Obiano, at different times to honour him, all to no avail. I
may still toe this line in years to come, but for my tribute this year, let us
use the messages in Oliver’s music to tackle those who have always criticized
Oliver for being partly responsible for the erosion of the civility in the Igbo
culture and norms which primarily are respect for elders and neighbours above
wealth and others. This group has always insisted that Oliver promoted
decadence in the society and a culture of fraud, so long as the end point is
acquisition of money.
One of my best albums sung by the sage is Peoples Club. This
album which popularized several men of wealth and had also generated criticism
from the people in which they say that Oliver used his style of music to
promote evil men in the society, which the members of the Peoples Club were
thought to be was very ill conceived. Oliver never asked anyone to engage in
fraud so as to make money to qualify being featured in his music. He rather
praised men of means and encouraged hard work for people to ascend to such
league.
90 percent of the music Oliver made during his lifetime was
in Igbo language. He popularized Igbo language to the point that those who did
not understand the music still danced to his tunes and longed earnestly to be
interpreted his lines to. Singing in one of his hits about his visit to
America, Oliver said “…ufodu ma’gba egwu, ufodu anuri’fea anekwu, oruo ka egwu
kwusiri, ndi Ocha asupu oyibo, Oliver De Coque we want some more music!” This
means that while playing for the whites in America, they danced to it, including
those who did not know how to dance and those who did not understand what the
music meant, and when the music drew to a halt they shouted and said “Oliver De
Coque, we want some more music.” This music was sang at a time when Igbo
scholars had not started shouting of Igbo language going into extinction.
Similarly in another track, ‘Ngiligbo’, which is a
combination of English and Igbo language, Oliver admonished and said; “Onye asu
zila Engiligbooooo” This means people should stop speaking a combination of
English and Igbo language. He admonished that people who want to speak English
should do so, and if they wanted Igbo language they should too, but mixing both
languages will amount to committing, ‘Engiligbo’.
For those who argue that Oliver particularly sang about men
of means because of the money he is wont to collect from them, I say this is
still untrue. He simply made music the best way he could and enjoyed himself by
so doing. A check on some of Oliver De Coque’s album will show that he also dedicated
tracks to deceased friends of his. And now, one will be prompted to ask, if Oliver
is after the money of men of means, who pays him when he praises a demised man
of means?
In one of them he sang; ‘ka anyi chete nu ndi otu anyi ndi
jere obodo afudebe, maka na onye chi ya kporo oku na ikpe ama ro ya. Peoples
club na ife melu anyi ma ya dibaooo… oburu na onwu na eri ego anyi ebute egooo,
oburu ife ana luru ogu na mgba umuibe anyi ejebe… onwu zulu uwaaaa, onwu zulu
uwa egbuo nueee… For non-Igbos, you do not need to bother, as Oliver here was
just musing about death and how it takes people without negotiation. He stated
that if death was negotiable, the members of people club who are mainly men of
means would negotiate the death of their own, or even mobilize for war if it
was about strength. He in another track also eulogized Johnny Wood, a good
friend of his who died in a motor crash and posited that …mberede nyiri dike,
Johnny esoro ugbo ana naba, onwu ana atuegwu, onwu ana atu uche egbu ewooo.
This means that death is so fearless and so stupid that it does not have a
rethink before going for anyone.
Lets talk about some of other Oliver’s hits, that are away
from praise singing. Who can forget the great track, Biri Kam Biri, which
literarily translates to live and let live. In times like this when the world
is so much in need of love, people like Oliver should be praised for dedicating
tracks to ensuring peace in the world. In that hit, Oliver sang and urged all
to try to live in peace with others, stating that; onye azola uwa azo, uwa ga
basi onyeobula; lets not struggle because the world is a big place and can
accommodate all.
Without wanting to write a long epistle, or wanting to espouse
all of his album or tracts as they are too many of it, I will only want to
leave my readers of this years tribute with this solid tracks of his; Uwa aburo
ebe ezimike, where he insisted that the world is not a resting bplace, but a
place where mortals come on a journey and retire later. Sounds like preaching
the gospel to sinners to bear in mind that there is a better home somewhere beyond.
He it was who in another track canvassed the need for every
man to own his own house. Saying; Nwoke ruo ulo nke ya, akpo ya landlord, oza,
Nwanyi ruo ulo nke ya, akpo ya landlady oza, ochoro iku flower okubazie, maka
na ulo bu nke ya, ocho ikpa ewu na okuko, okpaba zie maka na ulo bu nkeya…
simply he was saying that if a man built his own house he becomes a landlord,
and whatever he wished to do in it, including rearing animals he did. In another line he posited that any man who
lived in another man’s house should not plant flowers, as if his landlord quits
him, he will not relocate with the flowers.
Quite Ironically, the palatial mansion of the great sage has
continued to rot in Ezinifitte, Nnewi where his remains were also buried. During
my visit this year in September, the very imposing edifice is still standing
strong, but looks so very deserted as members of his family prefer to stay in
an adjoining smaller house. Even the tomb of the great music maestro has
remained uncemented, but rather used as a place to pack used rags. Oliver De
Coque must be a very unhappy man in his grave, but we still remember him
because he taught us great lessons through his music.
ENDS.
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