Association of Nigerian Musicologists to host August conference

Under the theme ‘Nigerian Indigenous Music and the Changing Times,’ the conference will hold from 16 – 19 August, at the University of Lagos’s Department of Creative Arts. Osita Ezewanebe, head of the department, and Anthony Mereni are designated conveners of the conference.

According to an notice by the organisers of the conference, a keynote address at the event will be delivered by Steve Ayorinde, who is the Lagos state commissioner for information and strategy. Ayorinde is a trained musicologist and wrote music journalism and general culture pieces for the a number of Nigerian newspapers before his appointment as commissioner by the current administration. He was among the administrators of the All Africa Music Awards held in Lagos last year.

The conference’s first lead paper is to be delivered by Prof. Tunji Vidal, former Dean of Post-Graduate School, at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife in Osun state. Giving the second lead paper is Prof. Cordis M. Achike of the Department of Music at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State.

Stephen Olusoji, a classical music composer and member of ANM, has said that art music composition, music therapy, gender issues and pop music will be discussed by at the conference.

Other themes to be discussed include: technology, socio-political change, movies, techniques for teaching music in the 21st century, sustainable development, globalisation, economy—how all of these are related to Nigerian indigenous music.

For more information, visit the ANM website.