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The Mother Metaphor in Owerri Bongo Music and the Digital Media

By

1Dr. Ada Onyebuenyi, 2Chiadikobi, Chinwe Mary-Rose & 3Dr. Ugochukwu Iwuji

Department of Humanities, Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria

Corresponding author’s email and phone No: aonyebuenyi@fpno.edu.ng; +234 (0)8033413186

Abstract

There has been a dearth of scholarly inquisition on Owerri Bongo music, a genre marked by its seductive rhythm, didactic lyrics and cultural aesthetics. There is a transcultural attachment to Owerri Bongo music which is catalysed by the dynamics of the digital media which transforms music from a local or linear experience to a global interactive medium, dismantling geographical limits. With the aid of the digital media, music albums can be streamed on social media and digital devices, thus, giving visibility to both the artistic works and the artists. This study expands epistemological frontiers on Owerri Bongo music by investigating the mother metaphor in selected Bongo songs and its impact on the psyche of the youth. The study is predicated on Freud’s Psychoanalytic theory which is primarily applied to examine how art stimulates the subconscious of a human, especially the superego. Besides gathering relevant data on songs that express the mother metaphor, the research also relies on data obtained from interviews with selected legends of the Bongo music genre. The findings of the research are hinged on the cultural aesthetics of the Bongo musical art and the psychic influence of the mother metaphor it expresses on the mind of the youth, the objective of which is to turn them to cultural heroes that uphold the ethos of their society.

 

Key Words: Cultural aesthetics, Digital media, Owerri Bongo music, Psychoanalysis, Youth.

Introduction

The digital media has transformed music from a local or linear experience to a global interactive medium, dismantling geographical limits. This study aims at interrogating the mother metaphor in Owerri Bongo music with the aim of implicating its cultural richness which influences the subconscious of an individual. An individual that is indoctrinated in the folklore and cultural values of their people is easily positioned to be an agent of national development – one that is drawn away from all forms of antisocial practices. The term, Bongo, is not originally Igbo. It refers to a pair of small, open bottomed percussive drums of different sizes. It originated in Cuba hence Bongo is a Latin American music style. There is also the Bongo Flava, a music genre in Tanzania. Africa and Cuba have strong cultural ties hence it may be safe to assert that Bongo is traditionally African in concept and meaning. The drums are played with the fingers and palms. Culturally, the Igbo traditional music did not have Bongo as a musical instrument. What was available was a three-in-one open bottomed drums that produced at least three musical parts of treble, alto and tenor.

According to U. Stephenson (personal communication, February 15, 2026), the use of the term, Bongo music, in Nigeria is traced to the late Nze Dan Orji of the Peacocks Band fame, where in one of his albums he announced that they had added the Bongo instrument in their percussive instruments, making their style a Bongo musical genre. Bongo music in Nigeria is associated with the Owerri people who already had the Okuru cultural music practice that blended local instruments, including the three-in-one percussion (epete) which would later be replaced by the Bongo instrument. The Okuru, according to Stephenson, was a recreational Owerri cultural music genre played during moonlight games or night ceremonies. Occasionally, a fowl was placed as a prize and an Okuru competition was declared and the best player went home with the hung fowl. Nze Dan Orji started recording the Okuru cultural music as early as the 60s. He would later introduce the two percussive instruments, Bongo, before renaming it as Bongo music.  The second generation of recorded Bongo artists operated between the 80s and late 90s were mainly age-grades, prominent among which was Owerri Dozie Age-grade led by Oriwo. There was also Umuakpadike of Egbu, Owerri North and others from Emekuku. Leading the pack of modern Bongo artists is Godswill Onyekpandu alias Dr. Sir Foreigner who recorded successful hits at the turn of the 21st century. He was followed closely by Chima Eke, Eluigwe Ugorji, Joseph Jacobs (Saro Wiwa) Sunny Bobo, Owigiri, David Osuji (Don One), Bruno, Obinna Umoh (alias Ababanna), KC Voice and Chimuanya, among others.

As a music genre, Bongo music refers to a traditional Owerri musical style with a seductive rhythm, blending various instruments including Bongo, wooden gong (ekwe), rattles (ichaka) metal gong (ogele) and big pot instrument (udu). The Bongo music is usually performed at traditional festivals, marriage ceremonies, funeral rites, wake-keep ceremonies, community gatherings and house warming ceremonies. Thematically, the Owerri Bongo music expresses Igbo worldview and folklore, serving as a means of social commentary, humour, satire, eulogy and moral guidance.

Owerri Bongo music is distinguished by its infusion of Igbo folklore. It boldly expresses the Igbo worldview while preserving cultural values. The genre is rich in literary elements such as metaphor, eulogy, satire, sarcasm, aphorisms, ironies, paradox, symbolism and epigrams, among others. This paper focuses on the metaphorical nuance of Owerri Bongo music in order to implicate the stylistic richness of the genre and its moral predilection.

According to Abrams and Harpham (2012, p. 130), a metaphor is a word or expression “that is applied to a distinctly different kind of thing, without asserting a comparison.” A metaphor compares two unrelated things, highlighting shared characteristics to create deeper meaning or strong imagery. Abrams and Harpham (2012) identifies three types of metaphor, namely: implicit metaphor, mixed metaphor and dead metaphor. An implicit or implied metaphor compares two unlikely things indirectly, without clearly naming one of them. A mixed metaphor compares two incompatible metaphors while a dead metaphor is one that loses its original imaginative meaning through constant use. Metaphors are central in literature as they create deeper layers of meaning, enhance imagery, express powerful emotions, convey abstract ideas and enhance critical thinking. The mother metaphor is not to be confused with the root metaphor which is a guiding principle for understanding reality. In the realm of this paper, the mother metaphor is a symbol of strength, care, light, unwavering support and stability. The mother is a nurturer, protector, life-giver, guide and heart of the home.

Nigerian Music and the Digital Media

The digital media has enhanced the global visibility of traditional music in Nigeria. The digital media refers to any content created, stored, distributed and accessed in digital or electronic forms such as smartphones, tablets and other digital devices. By nature, the digital media is interactive and can be shared, having a global reach. It enhances communication, promotes business and brands, connects people worldwide and entertain people. Examples of digital media may include social media platforms, streaming services (YouTube and Netflix), websites, blogs, podcasts and e-books, among others.  Digital platforms that amplify contemporary Nigerian music include: Spotify, TikTok, YouTube, Audiomack, Boomplay. Apple music and social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X), among others.

The digital media has given old and contemporary Nigerian music a boost in terms of visibility and access. Digital media and social platforms have intensified these debates. Ojukwu (2025) notes that social media amplifies the reach of morally insensitive songs, making regulation more complex. Adeola (2020) also highlights how digital accessibility increases youth exposure to morally ambiguous content. The democratisation of music production and distribution has therefore weakened traditional gatekeeping structures. It is important that the authorities regulate the content in digital media so that it does not undermine the national ethos. Yet, the accessibility which the digital media grants to musical albums has its merits. Essentially, it amplifies societal values and exposes humanity to cultural ideals that catalyse national development in many ways. For persons who are unfamiliar with their folklore, the digital media easily exposes them to the richness of their shared identity. The musical art by its nature easily makes an impression on the psyche of a people, a reason it is a veritable avenue of propagating and escalating values. When integrated in songs, the mother metaphor is one of the values that can deeply influence the subconscious of a person, instilling positive ideals and change.  

Theory and Literature Review

Psychoanalysis is essentially a framework that interrogates the relationship between literature and the mind. Abrams and Harpham (2012, p. 320) adduce that in Psychoanalysis “Freud proposes that literature and other arts, like dreams and neurotic symptoms, consist of the imagined, or fantasised, fulfillment of wishes that are either denied by reality or prohibited by the social standards of morality and propriety.” Thus, these “dreams and neurotic symptoms,” and all the fantasies and wishes exist in the unconscious of the individual and push him to act in certain ways that are contradictory. Freud calls this tendency ‘id’ while the acceptable standards, morality and propriety reside in the domain of the ego and superego (Baker, 2003).

Barry (1995, p. 70) avers that “All of Freud’s work depends upon the notion of the unconscious, which is the part of the mind beyond consciousness which nevertheless has a strong influence upon our actions.” Meanwhile, Psychoanalysis for Eagleton (2008) is both a theory of the mind and practice for curing those who are mentally unstable. This treatment was based on the conclusion that the root of mental symptoms or neurosis could be determined by encouraging patients to talk and relive memories during which the therapist identifies the cause of their malady. However, the cure may not be effective if the patient fails to reveal all to the therapist.

If literature reflects the complexities of the human life and condition, then Psychoanalysis comes as an important theoretical framework that can richly identify and analyse the nexus between the literary work and the mind that consumes it. The infusion of the mother metaphor in Owerri Bongo music is deliberately aimed at appealing to humanity to appreciate and venerate the mother personage.

There is, surprisingly, a dearth of literature on Owerri Bongo music as there seems to be limited research on the genre, despite its invaluable contribution to the folkloric trajectory of the Igbo race. It is noteworthy that no scholarly attention has been paid to the mother metaphor expressed in the genre among the few scholarly works that exist on the Owerri Bongo music. According to Opara (2012), Bongo music functions not merely as entertainment but as a medium of social commentary among the Igbo. Through lyrical narration, proverbs, and moral instruction, Bongo artists articulate communal concerns such as justice, leadership, family relations and social transformation.

In terms of language, Onwubiko and Adikwu (2022) argue that sociocultural metaphors in Owerri-Igbo Bongo songs frame communal identity and encode moral philosophy, as the genre often encodes symbolic expressions drawn from rural life and experiences. These metaphors are not arbitrary; they function as cultural frames that help listeners interpret reality through shared Igbo experiences. Thus, Owerri Bongo music becomes a vehicle for transmitting indigenous knowledge and reinforcing cultural continuity in a rapidly modernising society.

Language use further strengthens the genre’s cultural significance as Nwulu (2019) emphasises that the predominance of the Owerri dialect and idiomatic expressions in Bongo music contributes to Igbo cultural renaissance. The foregrounding of linguistic patterns help to preserve dialectal uniqueness while asserting cultural pride. This linguistic rootedness distinguishes Owerri Bongo from mere cosmopolitan Nigerian popular genres that often prioritise English or pidgin. Owerri Bongo music, thus, sustains local identity while adapting to contemporary musical production styles.

In terms of trends, Mbara and Ekezie (2019) observe that Owerri Bongo music has evolved from its earlier highlife-influenced structures to incorporate modern instrumentation and studio technology. This is observed in musical releases by Godswill Onyekpandu (Dr. Sir Foreigner), Chima Eke, Eluigwe Ugorji and Obinna Umoh, among others. Essentially, Owerri Bongo music reflects a dynamic interplay between tradition and change. Its meaning lies in its function as moral instruction, social commentary, and cultural preservation, while its trends show adaptation to contemporary media and performance spaces. This makes Owerri Bongo music a resilient cultural form anchored in Igbo worldview.

The Mother Metaphor in Ababanna’s Songs

Obinna Umoh alias Ababanna is a contemporary Bongo artist from Awaka, Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State. He is prolific, having recorded numerous Bongo albums that had resonated with the people. He came into the picture almost fully made as almost all his albums had been successful. He is distinguished among his peers for devoting some of his songs into cemebrating motherhood. Ababanna might have been greatly influenced by his mother while growing up, hence the passion devoted into celebrating motherhood.

One of Ababanna’s songs that celebrate motherhood is “Onyekpatara aku lezie nne ya” (One who acquires wealth, take care of the mother). The mother metaphor suggests life-giving and nurturing qualities, symbolising unconditional love and care. The mother metaphor is pervasive in Ababanna’s songs as it promotes love and devotion to the mother personage. The song is a lyric marked by repetitions, catharsis and appealing tone. Organically, the song can be divided into parts, distinguished by the thematic thrust espoused in them. The first part of the song appeals to humanity to look after mother:

Onye kpatara aku lezie nne ya

Aa nne wu ihe o

Onye kpatara aku lezie nne ya

A nne wu ihe o

Ikpatakwara aku lezie nne ya

Aa nne wu ihe o

One kpataraku lezie nne ya

Aa nne wu ihe o

Ndi nne mama

Ugo ezi n’ulo

 

One who acquires wealth should take care of the mother

Mother is a factor

One who acquires wealth should take care of the mother

Mother is a factor

You who acquire wealth, take care of your mother

Mother is a factor

One who acquires wealth, take care of the mother

Mother is a factor

Women are mothers

Pride of the home.

 

The tone of the song is appealing. The artist enjoins humanity to value the mother personage. The excerpt presupposes that every human grows to strive to acquire wealth to be able to take care of the family. It also takes into account the possibility of forgetting the mother personage when wealth is eventually acquired, hence the song warns menfolk not to forget their mother. The song generally speaks to everyone. To the adult, the song is a reminder that one’s mother should partake of one’s wealth. To a child, the song is warning that the mother should be taken care of when they attain adulthood. The mood of the song is thoughtful, calling humanity to reflect on the mother metaphor. There is repetition in the song which reinforces the centrality of motherhood. The lexical item, “nne” (mother) is repeated severally in the excerpt above to underscore the value of motherhood. The first part of the song successfully sets the imagery of the mother as an indispensable personage in the society. When the song, for instance, admonishes humanity to show care to the mother, it adduces reasons for it: “Mother is a factor.” The last line of the excerpt boldly asserts that the mother is the pride of the home.  Thus, no home can be deemed complete without the mother.

The mother metaphor is sustained in the second part of the song which further extols motherhood for what it stands for in populating and sustaining the world:

Umu elu uwa

Onye eile nne ya aro nruro

Onye owula lezir nne ya anya

Aa nne bara uru lee

Echetara m mgbe amuru muo

Aa nne m eji echim ara

Aa nne m eji asa m aru

Aa nne m eji enye m nri

 

People of the world

No one should undermine their mother

Take care of your mother

Mothers are valuable

I remember my years of cradle

Mother breastfed me

Mother washed me

Mother fed me.

The foregoing begins with a direct address to humanity to value the mother personage. It draws inspiration from the first part of the song in sustaining the mother metaphor. Beyond child-bearing, mothers do a lot in propagating humanity. The tone of the song is didactic. The music cautions humanity on the role of mothers. The artist goes down memory lane to stipulate what his mother did for him from cradle to adulthood, evoking the imagery of the mother as compassionate being. The mother breastfeeds the child to nurture them into healthy beings. She washes the child to make the clean and feeds them to make them grow. The use of repetition is also employed in the verse to reinforce the mother metaphor – a caring and compassionate being without whom humanity may grow into extinction. The last three lines show the mother as a symbol of strength as she performs the tripartite duties of breastfeeding, washing and feeding her child.

There is a similar pattern in the song where each part begins with drawing the attention of humanity to the essential virtues of a mother that make her central in the world, at the first part of the song, the artist entreats adults who have means of livelihood to care for the mother. The second part entreats all shades of humanity in the world to care for the mother character. The third addresses the artist’s brethren, drawing attention to the mother metaphor while eulogising the mother:

Nwanne ee

Asikwam ihe rika nne akolam

Chineke Nna biko

Ka gozie kwa nneni murumini

Aa ee onweghi onye dika nne

Umu Owere lee

Onwei ihe rika nne

Ejema nku akpoma nne muru nwa

Eshima nri akpowa nne muru nwa

Eze biko, ka gozie kwa nne ni murumini

Okpatara aku lezie nne ya

Aa nne wu ihe o

Okpatara alu lezie nne ya

Aa nne wu ihe o.

Brethren ee

May I not lose my mother

O God please bless my mother

Aa ee, there’s none like mother

Owerri brethren

There’s no one like mother

Time for firewood fetching, mother is beckoned

Time for cooking, mother is beckoned

Dear God, please bless my mother

One who acquires wealth, take care of your mother

Mother is a factor

One who has wealth, take care of your mother

Mother is a factor.

 

The tone of the verse is invocative. The artist summons hos brethren as witnesses to prayer. He seems to dramatise the prayer while looking at his mother. First. He pleads to Divinity to spare his mother as he would not want to lose her. He seems to also raise his hands in prayer to the Almighty, pleading that He bless his mother. Besides nurturing him to adulthood, the mother has remained a resilient character in his life. It is she who is called upon to fetch firewood, cook and serve the family. The artist may have considered these tasks as daunting hence he admits there is none like the mother. Once again, he entreats his brethren from the same Owerri clan to bear witness to the indispensability of the mother. The song is defined by the use of repetition, a deliberate poetic tool to create rhythm, musicality and reinforce theme and meaning. Repetition also creates a sense of unity while intensifying a pattern. The repetition of prayers for the mother in the excerpt aligns with the mother metaphor motif running through the song. The song methodologically returns to what may serve as the refrain, after the prayers. The refrain is an appeal to all who acquire wealth to look after their mother dire to what they represent – the mother metaphor – the mother factor.

The mother metaphor is implicated in the fourth part of the song which addresses the artist’s Owerri clan people. There seems to be a dramatic pattern in the song which makes the artist to address the people in a different light. Having repeatedly addressed them in the course of the poem, the artist in this part addresses them as people who have assimilated the theme of his song:

Umu Owere, anyi amarala

Aa nne wu ihe o

Ohanaeze Ndigbo amarala

Aa nne wul ihe o

Christian father, anyi amarala

Aa nne wu ihe o

Engineer Emma Duru amarakwala

Aa nne wu ihe o

Ababanna amarachala

Aa nne wu ihe o.

 

Owerri brethren, we already know

Mother is a factor

Ohanaeze Ndigbo knows

Mother is a factor

Christian fathers know

Mother is a factor

Engineer Emma Duru knows

Mother is a factor

Ababanna knows

Mother is a factor.

 

The application of psychoanalysis to literary criticism, according to Adeoti (2015, p. 41) “stems from a supposition that powerful forces inherent in the individual, of whom we are no aware, principally trigger behaviour.” These “powerful forces” can stem from what one reads or consumes. In this case, the assimilation of cultural songs that celebrate motherhood may trigger a pattern of behaviour that tends to venerate the mother personage. The celebration of the mother figure presupposes that some people may take their mother for granted, prompting the artist in one of the lines of the song to assert that he cannot undermine his mother. Stories abound of young men who use their mothers for ritual sacrifices. These are the people that take their mothers for granted. The lyrics of Ababanna’s song are meant to develop a person’s psychological carriage (superego) to resist any antisocial act against the mother personage.

The tone of the above excerpt is optimistic. The artist is positive that the various sections of the society are sufficiently schooled on the vital position a mother occupies. Dramatically, he acknowledges his clansmen (Owerri brethren), expressing optimism about their devotion to the mother personage. Next, he acknowledges the umbrella body that unites all Igbo people: Ohanaeze. He also hails his friend, Emma Duru, for being a respecter of mothers. In a bid to reinforce the theme of his song, the artist openly admits that he reverences the mother personage. There is the abundant use of apostrophe where the line “Mother is a factor” is repeated in alternate lines to heighten the emotional appeal of the verse.

Ababanna’s song thrives in folklore. In the fifth part of the song, the artists employs epigrams in valorising the mother personage:

Enyi mee, onye riwele ihe ka nne

Enyekwala m

A si m onye, rewerele ihe ka nne

Enyekwala m

Ihe rika nne akokwalam muo

Ihe rika nne akolwala muo

Mama ee, ezinne ee

Onwu ga-egbu nne, onwu ga-egbu nne

Kaa jema na mmiri o

Hakwala m nne murumini

Aa nne, aa nne, aa nne lelelele, aa nne o

Chineke gozie nne murumini

Aa nne aa nne murumini

Chineke kere uwa biko

Ka gozie nne muru mmanu.

 

Friends, he who possesses what is greater than Mother

Give me not

Indeed he who possesses what is greater than Mother

Give me not

May I lack no motherly care

May I lack no motherly care

Mama ee, good mother

Death aiming at Mother, death aiming at Mother

Please aim at the river

Leave my mother alone

O Mother, O Mother

O Creator of the world

Please bless my Mother.

The tone of the foregoing verse is audacious and invocative. The artist boldly declares his stand on the issue of the mother personage. He calls on his friends not to associate him with anything greater than his mother. The imagery of the mother so created in the verse is that of a precious jewel – a metaphor for the indispensability of the mother. The verse generously applies repetition to reinforce the mother personage. The declaration about the supremacy of the mother personage over possessions is repeated in the second line of the stanza. This is meant to appeal to the subconscious of the listeners of the song who may be hostile or disrespectful to their mothers. The first two lines are epigrammatic as an unusual comparison is drawn between the mother personage and a sumptuous consumable. The implication is that if the mother personage were to be a consumable, it would be the sweetest of all. In the lines following, the artist reinforces the active presence of the mother personage. The presence makes her emotionally attached to her children. The quality of active presence distinguishes a mother in the family. She is easily attuned to the needs of a child. He artist suddenly goes invocative by pleading with death to spare his mother. Death is personified in the line as a living being which must not look in the way of the mother. The persona once again implores death to spare his mother. There is the use of epizeuxis in the line which emphasises the point made and improves the rhythm of the verse. The artist certainly wants his mother to grow old so as to fully enjoy the reward of her labour. The use of apostrophe in the verse continues in the second line. Apostrophe enables a persona to think aloud or express inner emotions while addressing an inanimate. This is often marked with a shift in tone. The artist further implores death to visit its anger on the river rather than his mother. Having beseeched death to leave his mother, the artist appeals to God to bless his mother: “Chineke gozie nne murumini.” The prayer is repeated in the successive line to reinforce the passion in the artist’s heart.

Ababanna’s song thrives in elements of repetition including anaphora, epizeuxis and refrain. The verse breaks into a refrain at the last part of the poem where he reminds humanity not to neglect mothers because of the central role they play in the world.

Conclusion   

 The digital media has democratised access to art, oral or written, the advantage of which it amplifies societal values and exposes humanity to cultural ideals that catalyse national development in many ways. For persons who are unfamiliar with their folklore, the digital media easily exposes them to the richness of their shared identity. The musical art by its nature easily makes an impression on the psyche of a people, hence it is a veritable avenue for propagating and escalating values. When integrated in songs, the mother metaphor is one of the values that can deeply influence the subconscious of a person, instilling the positive culture of reverence for elders and value for humanity. There is need for artists to be inspired by factors that underpin our shared humanity, especially in an era of insecurity when core human values are undermined. The worst-hit is the mother personage symbolised by young women and girls that are regularly abducted, molested and dehumanised.  

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 FUGUSAU

This article is published in ALQALAM: A Journal of Language and Literary Studies, FUGUS, Volume 1, Issue 2 - June 2026

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