Bandiri
By Lawal Dayo
Music, as we all know, is an artful arrangement of sounds across time, but this definition is obviously very broad, but a narrower one would exclude too much. Music is part of virtually every culture on Earth, but it varies widely among cultures in style and structure. Music is a unique human form of communication with well-developed rules of construction much like grammar.
Every Nigerian gets a kick out of music and puts a kick into it. In Lagos, the mere quantity of sound rising up to heaven is terrific. One needs earplugs! And anywhere in the whole country, at any time of the day and night, if you listen well, you will hear music and thudding of drums.
People from different cultures and backgrounds perceive music as their way of life not only because of the tones, melodies and harmonies but the song they sing to produce such euphonic sounds.
However, culture has quite made it known that the way of life of people, their visions, missions and prospects can be expressed through sound and silence. This is what music is: it makes people speak even when their voices are not clears make their bodies move even when their joints are not flexible. Through this better communication are made and feelings and emotions are expressed.
Down in the South-West of the country, Ilorin – the state capital of Kwara consist of people who are known to be lovers of a particular musical instrument called “The Bandiri”. Although these days, Bandiri is not just recorded as a name to a musical instrument but also a kind of music on its own, This music is rationed to the Northern part of the country and specifically by the Muslims, as the background of the instruments itself could be traced back to the Asians – Arabs and the Hindi. Let me quickly take you through a journey on the history of Bandiri both as an instrument and a kind of music.
Regionally, Kwara State is zoned, a northern state. Like other zoned states are related, Ilorin and its member family states, such as Niger, Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto and others have some intersecting characteristics, including Islamic religious practice as well as some cultural practices such as food, agricultural practice, trade, clothing etc. except their language so it is a bit Islamic.
The role of Music in the expression of one’s religious belief cannot be over-emphasized. Although, there is no schemed out service of song in the Mosque, nevertheless, Music has performed significant roles of entertainment and communication in celebrating festivals like ‘Id el Fitr, ‘Id el Kabir, Maulud Nabiyy, Walimat al Quran, marriage feasts and other Islamic social gatherings.
Bandiri is a musical instrument which is played with so much aura in gatherings. Most times, youths are found in a Sufi dance, punching their arms back and forth in time to the music. In the arena young girls listen, laugh, their bodies covered in brightly colour prints and their heads encased by large scarves while the alleys around are packed with a mob of boys listening, shouting and sometimes singing to the song being played. Older men look on, somewhat skeptically, from a distance. As the song finishes another youth takes the place of the singer putting his skill at lyric writing and singing against the one who has come before (and who will come after). This is how Bandiri music is played. The kwarans mode of dressing and tune depicts the Indian culture while their lyrics are Islamic (Arabic culture – praising God) and the instrument is Asian.
Kwara, being Islamically grounded and a sister state to its northern families also picked this up (the use of Bandiri) and embedded it in their culture. According to history, it has been in practice from the time Islamic practices began in the state and became more pronounced at the creation of the state. Bandiri therefore, is an interesting musical instrument and will continue to be a source of entertainment in every nooks and crannies of the state.
In Kano State, Bandiri is named after the drum – the Bandiri – used in ritual practice by Sufis (a practice of inner dimension of Islam) to enter into a trance. Is it really Islamic, many Hausa Muslims ask to enter into trance, or to use drums inside the mosque? Bandiri sits at the nexus of these very different sorts of transnational flows, Islamists revival and Indian popular culture that meet and make sense in Northern Nigeria, in the context of a spatial configuration of culture, media and religion.
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