BLOG POST SUMMARY: This special post chronicles our once-in-a-lifetime encounter with fame and talent. In this case, Professor (Sir) Victor Uwaifo, an Nigerian born musician that changed the face of African music in the sixties, seventies and eighties with musical genres of his own and live performances and a presence reminiscent of Elvis Presley. What makes Professor (Sir) Victor Uwaifo (MON, JP) even more unique and legendary is his extraordinary creativity. He is also an inventor and engineer - dare I say it but an African Leonardo Da Vinci. We interviewed the Professor, he played for us, we had beers together whilst watching highlights of his performances, started the car he designed and built himself, culminating in my singing duo with him in his very own chapel. Do not miss out one of my favourite posts and clearly the highlight of this trip to date and probably the entire trip unless someone films me putting my head in a lions mouth and I survive!
PROFESSOR (SIR) VICTOR EFOSA UWAIFA (MON, JP): read all about the stella career of this living legend in his very own website: www.victoruwaifo.com. A summary of his career is as follows: Born in Benin City NIGERIA on 1 March 1941. Education: started guitar at age 12, attended grammar high schools in Benin and Lagos, National Art Diploma in 1963, Bachelor of Arts with Honours in 1993 (at age 52), Masters and PhD in sculpture in 1996. Released first song in 1959. First Gold Record for “Joromi” in 1966. Released 600 songs over 100 albums since 1959 to now. Commissioned to design and sculpt several monuments throughout Nigeria and Africa and perform for several Nigerian Presidents. Designed and built a kit car from scratch by himself in 1995. Designed his own home and museum (most of his museum exhibits are designed and sculpted by him). Designed and built the world’s only spinning guitar and a combination guitar and keyboard. He toured the United States of America, Japan, Europe and the former United Soviet Socialist Republic. Married Princess Osaretin in 1998 with three children. On the board of countless educational and artistic entities in Nigeria and Ambassador of the Arts for Nigeria. Last Iive concert in late 2015 with more to come according the maestro in our close encounter with him on the afternoon of Saturday 13th February 2016.
DAY 93, Sat 13FEB16, 14:00 to 17:30, Victor Uwaifo Street, Benin City NIGERIA.
It all happened around 2pm when (lucky for us) a taxi driver refused to take us to the Kada Mall from "The Revelation Palazzo Museum" and a tall well dressed local man called Chris approached us only 2min later. “I will show you the museum if you like” said “Chris”, introducing himself as the curator. This was not the highlight event. This would come later when we would meet and spend 2hrs alone with Victor Uwaifo himself, the “Elvis Presley” of Nigeria and Africa in the sixties and seventies and still performing and recording now. The museum was something to be seen to be believed. It showcased the most important and characteristic elements of the Benin Royalty and Nigerian popular culture whilst chronicling the life of Professor (Sir) Victor Uwaifo (MON, JP).
There were “sets” or reproductions of the Kings Throne Room, slave dungeons, mythical creatures and even Victor himself. The sets featured life sized fibreglass figures that Prof Victor designed and made himself. Unbelievable. The hour long museum visit concluded inside the concrete aircraft that contained a small cinema with big TV instead of screen where I saw clips of the performing professor. Once the “aircraft landed” we went outside where Chris (the curator) introduced us to a short African guy dressed in a green and white track suit (almost like the Nigerian flag) and wearing cool sun glasses. It was the professor himself. We died. This man has released 600 songs over almost 60yrs and awarded the “Member of the Order of the Niger (MON)”, the English equivalent of an OBE and a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II. He holds a Master of Arts and a PhD and Professorship in sculpture from the University of Benin.
He has performed in Nigeria, all over Africa and in many worldwide locations including Japan. He has been described by many music publications and even newspapers as “a living legend” and a modern day Leonardo Da Vinci since he is also a sculptor, inventor and engineer. Read all about his achievements at his website www.victoruwaifo.com.
The Prof then invited us to his office above the museum. He asked us to sit around a long boardroom-style table which was connected to his huge presidential-style office desk, covered in music awards and government accolades. He apologised as he had to finish typing up an article on his huge separate computer workstation.
As we waited we observed several show itineraries and sketches of statues and devices on the board room table. We were mesmerised by this man of talent and creativity. It was not long until Prof Victor asked us to follow him to his palatial home next door to the museum. Chris left us at his from door, adorned with Greek Corinthian columns and looking exactly like Gracelands in Memphis Tennessee! Beyond the front door was a long hallway and a big door immediately to the left. Prof Victor unlocked this door revealing another world inside.
The world of an insanely creative mind and eccentric performer. Louis VIII lounge chairs covered in red velvet, a King and Queens throne under a huge umbrella, gold records and awards adorning all the walls (like Elvis), amazing rugs, long French provincial style velvet curtains, a bar, audio-visual gear and even a life-size statue of the Prof with guitar - reminded us immediately of the lounge living room of Elvis Presley in Graceland. Professor Victor, as he likes to be called is extremely humble and engaging and exudes energy. I asked him if he was comfortable doing a quick interview. He agreed immediately saying in jest “as long as it is quick”.
I spun into action. As the Prof tuned his guitar, I instructed Yuki on how to shoot the interview which would take place at his throne under the big umbrella. It was a raging, one-take, interview success. I will not detail the interview here since you will see it in “Ungowa Africa 2016” but I will reveal some interesting points that the Prof made in the interview. Filming opened with the Prof playing one of his songs on an acoustic guitar and then I asked questions which I had agreed with the Prof before filming. One asked about how he created the three musical genres that he invented and characterise him : Ekassa, Sasakossa and Titifritti.
The Prof explained that he saw musical notes like colours: “doe-rey-me” as “red-blue-yellow”. Just as an artist mixes primary colours to create a rainbow of others and eventually picture or image, so too a musician mixes a set scale of set notes to create others and eventually a song - in his case he associates notes to colours instead of a melody.
In his case the primary colours were existing genres of music such as jazz, tango or blues. Mixing them like a painters palette led to the these unique genres. What an insight. When I asked him how he saw himself since he was an accomplished musician, artist, sculptor inventor, architect, poet, philosopher and engineer he presented me with a newspaper clipping describing him as “Africa’s Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Edison and Michaelangelo in a singe Nigerian person”! He then said uttered a single word - “restless”. “I see myself as restless”. He explained that creativity comes from being “restless” something I have heard about other prodigies that sleep very little and whose minds are always active.
Finally I ask him about the future of music in NIGERIA and the youth creating it. He confirmed that “hip-hop” is the most popular but was more concerned about the intrusion of digital sound mixing and producing software and the impact that may have on the depth of musical creativity. He did not question the existence of creativity in creating music digitally but the depth and quality of this creativity and its result. This is why he encourages his students to actually learn music by playing a real instrument so that they can “acquaint themselves with the notes and melodies as if they were people - face to face rather than in email”.
Once you know the notes personally then use the computer. Much like learning to write to acquaint yourself with the letters before hitting the keyboard. The reason for knowing notes or letters or colours intimately is that these are finite in number but what you can do with them, how you mix and match them, how you combine and mix then is infinite - this is at the heart of creativity - the “mixing and matching”, not trying to invent an end state. Again a very inspiring, considered point of view. The Prof demonstrated his point by playing a piece of Johann Sebastian Bach on his guitar - he said “many people think it is impossible to play an orchestral piece on a singe instrument - no - why not? - the guitar has all the necessary notes but if you do not know them well enough you will not be able to put them together to play Bach or any other classic. He played Bach and it sounded brilliant. Not only did we get the theory but we got the result as well!
After the interview the Prof was keen to demonstrate his three genres and at the same time show us his performance moves, costumes and his trademark “spinning guitar” which he designed and built himself. While he prepared the video we gazed around at the myriads of awards and gold discs on the wall. 600 songs in 60 albums and singles from 1959 to now. His most popular being “Joromi” which was the longest number 1 in NIGERIA and Africa at the time and hit number 8 globally. This put in him on the musical map.
The Prof then offered us a beer or wine and hit the play button on the DVD player. We saw several short extracts from live concerts including one from September 2015 and the moves were terrific for a 75 year old. The Prof does not look his age and definitely has a celebrities engaging face and smile. He also did a lot of body building in his younger years. I think the fact that he still makes things would keep him in shape.
Speaking of making things, the Prof was then keen to show us a car that he designed and built from scratch by himself. It looks like an old Rolls but is made from fibreglass on an aluminium space frame with VW engine and regular wheels. He climbed inside and started it up! This car is over 20yrs old! Amazing. Our visit then reached an absolute high when he invited us to his own personal chapel. He is not only a devout Catholic but a registered minister as well with permission to dress in civies and perform. I asked what his favourite hymn was and was not surprised when he replied with “Ave Maria” and then proceeded to sing it unprompted.
Once again a good voice given his age and lifestyle. I told him I was Orthodox and that we also had an equivalent called “Axion Esti”. Much to my surprise he asked me to sing it. I did.
Then much to my delight he joined in and actually harmonised with me. It was angelic. Riza and Yuki were near tears!!! Even I wanted to cry. Here I was in a chapel singing a Greek Orthodox hymn with one of Africa’s most prolific musicians. How could this not be a highlight, if not THE highlight of the trip. So much so, that I number it as one of the pivotal experiences of my life. We all hugged this enigmatic Professor Victor as we said goodbye including the double-sided Greek cheek kisses and headed up Victor Uwaifo Road for the second time. Who knows, maybe given this experience, it will not be the last...
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ReplyDeleteNext time you visit the Professor, perhaps you could sing an Abba song.
ReplyDeleteVery good Tzon