By Peterkins Manyong
Nkem Owo, Nigerian actor popularly known as "Ukwa", following a film of that title is a household name in Cameroon. Those who knew him before only as a film actor were pleasantly surprised to discover that their darling star is also an expert musician.
This new dimension in Nkem’s popularity followed the release of his now famous tract, I Go Chop Your Dollar.
The hit song, which is also the title, is based on one of his latest movies, The Master, in which he successfully executes vengeance against a white man.
This is in retaliation to a similar treatment he had received at the hands of another conman from the West. The rhythm of the song and the presentation are superb.
The dancers complement everything with nimble footed movements and uniformity of style.
I Go Chop Your Dollar has become a local anthem in most parts of Cameroon. Parents and children are crazy about it.
The next song, Susana, is an almost inimitable piece of sublime melody in well-articulated lyrics and matching gestures. In Susana, Nkem successfully tells the tragic-comic story of his love with Susana. How they enjoyed together, eating chicken pepper soup, and the very cherished delicacy shehu (the head of a goat). But the love lasted only as long as the naira flowed..
The end of the flow was the end of the romance.
The third song, the Claim Relationship, tells the equally tragic story of a marriage that ended because the woman saw a better-to-do lover than the musician. Ukwa realises only too late that the woman whom he loved and thought loved him is hell incarnate.
The Moral
Anybody who fails to appreciate such charming songs deserves to grow ass's ears like the legendary King Midas, who failed to appreciate the bewitching music of the Greek God, Apollo. But to appreciate music only from its melody is denying oneself the other advantage of acquiring wisdom that well conceived songs should convey.
Aesthetics, the science of the beautiful, teaches us that beauty should not only be perceived in beauty, but in truth. Ukwa speaks stunning truth in his music. Among them are the facts that those who indulge in crime do so as a form of vengeance for injustices they have suffered in life.
But in so doing, unfortunately, conveys two destructive messages; the first is that forgiveness is not the proper conduct for those who have been wronged. The second damaging message is that feymania is an acceptable approach to the acquisition of easy wealth.
When Ukwa says the refinery, the national airport belongs to him; that he is the one to give out the contracts for which a board is meeting and that the presidency is equally at his disposal, he is actually dishing out practical lessons on conmanship.
The danger is that the children, most of whose minds are like blank sheets of paper, will grow up with the impression that conmanship is commendable because it is practised by great men like, Ukwa.
They may also be tempted to see virtue in the vendetta and anti-western sentiments invoked by Ukwa's xenophobic declarations against the oyibo man. This is unfortunate in an era when racial discrimination is being eradicated the world over and footballers or their fans sanctioned for racial misconduct.
Exercising Caution
The essence of this analysis is not to distract from the sweetness of the songs and the greatness of Ukwa as a comedian. (This analyst is one of his most devoted fans). It is rather to appreciate his ingenuity.
Plato did not banish poets from his ideal Republic because he hated poetry. In fact, few things entertained him like the poetry of Homer. Plato's complaint was that in the course of enjoying Homer's masterpieces The Iliad or The Odyssey he unconsciously got corrupted by the fact that the gods, who were supposed to be ideal, committed the same heinous acts as man: getting drunk, fighting and committing adultery.
Byron's Dona Inez has a similar complaint about the Classics "with their filthy gods and goddesses."
It is difficult to determine how much damage is inflicted on the psyche of the young by the obscenities of K-Tino, Petit Pays and Mbarga Soukous. Longue Longue and Grace Deca have proven that it is possible to acquire both fame and wealth without condescending to the vulgar level.
We love Ukwa, but in swallowing his very palatable songs, let us also understand that not all that tastes sweet is useful for the body.
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