Features
Janelle De Souza
The natural movement is a way of life that was promoted by renowned percussionist and instrument maker, the late Jajah Oga Onilu, and is being maintained by his sons Baba Ayinde Onilu and Modupe Onilu.
Sunday Newsday spoke to Baba Ayinde Onilu, 42, who explained that Baba is a name of Yoruba origin given to him by his father. It means “father” and is the father of a 14-year-old girl.
Onilu is an organic percussionist, but also a teacher, farmer, artist and designer, together with Modupe, in their clothing and jewelery business, Umbo Designs.
He makes and plays instruments and makes jewelry and handicrafts using natural materials such as coconut, bamboo and calabash.
“Organic instruments are what my father would call ‘first music.’ Nature is the first musician. It produced all these natural raw materials, sounds, tones and vibrations that we as human beings, when immersed in it, feel the energy it gives us.
Baba Ayinde Onilu with a boulie drum made from a calabash. Photo by Sureash Cholai
“Now we are living in a time where we are disconnected from the natural, even from the respect and reverence we should give to nature as our support.
“So organic percussion is about imitating a lot of these sounds and bringing it into these modern times where one is disconnected from that vibrating tone of music.”
So not only does he make instruments with mostly organic materials, but many of them produce the sounds of nature. For example, the rain stick, made of bamboo, sounds like falling rain or running water, while the icaba bird, a whistle made of reed, can make the sounds of bird calls.
Other aspects of organic music are the promotion of healthy eating, self-care and cultural transformation, as well as environmental conservation. Onilu said hopefully, listening to music brings that awareness back to people’s minds.
He lamented the lack of patriotism and respect for nature as people would recycle or not waste when visiting another country. But at TT they don’t care about their carbon footprint and “build” the future generations of the country.
He said his father stepped away from the limelight, immersed himself in nature, and nature revealed music and instruments to him. He initiated the “natural movement” and contributed a lot from a cultural perspective, and Onilu and his brother are carrying on that legacy.
He said they were born into the natural movement and were fortunate to experience the arts, including the performing arts, from a young age, so they both enjoy them and the legacy is not a burden.
“My father played an integral role in making me who I am and teaching me a lot about the things to value, keep, cherish and pass on to future generations.
While his daughter does not play instruments, he is proud that she enjoys literature, songwriting, poetry and drama.
“I think it’s probably a genetic thing. She’s not much into instruments, but she’s naturally into rhythm, which I think happened with me and my brother, too.
“We inherited an atmosphere from our father and it permeates our lifestyle and the things we do and promote. It’s about awareness. And the more you know yourself, the more connected you are to your destiny and purpose.”
Onilu said he lives in modern times, so he wouldn’t go to live in the bush, but finds himself wanting to spend time in nature, find comfort and recharge.
He pointed out that some people work so much that they don’t have time to connect with nature and, if they don’t have plants in or around their homes, everything around them is dead.
Also, he said, with Wifi, Bluetooth and “other frequencies that corrupt natural frequencies,” it can be difficult to connect with higher senses like intuition, telepathy and clairvoyance.
With his organic instruments, Onilu plays the beat of doping, which is based on the concept of the breath being the first drum.
The sound is very similar to beatboxing.
“We in TT have a rich history based on the slave trade and the prohibition of the drum. With the innovation of the Africans, they moved the drums to the mouth. From there they moved it to bamboo – bamboo tambu, which appeared on the cookie sheet and then on the steel drum.”
Because he uses organic instruments to produce that doption rhythm, he creates a different “vibration and tonal energy” with his band Dayo Bejide.
He explained that Dayo Bejide emerged from his original band Jewels of Nature with his father and brother. When their father died in 2011, the brothers formed the new group, combining organic music with conventional instruments, producing a combination of tribal, jazz, island and kaiso music.
The name, he said, means “happiness has come in the rainy season.” The concept of the name comes from their belief that, in a time where popular music is at a “low vibrational frequency”, especially in the lyrics, the band’s music is refreshing and replenishing, like rain.
They hope that positive music will help people cope with the world’s misfortunes.
Onilu added that he and his brother are in the process of registering an NGO called Jajah Onilu Legacy Project, honoring and protecting their father’s legacy. Based in the Caura Valley, they are planning several projects for agriculture and a cultural space where people can learn to make and play organic instruments.
In addition, he has a children’s project called Make and Play where he immerses children, aged five to 17, in nature. He shows them where and how plants grow, and how to harvest and prepare them to make instruments.
He said he wants to incorporate Make and Play into schools, as well as expand it into the Legacy Project.
“It’s a medium I use in most of my workshops. It’s not just about playing music. It is also about calling creativity. The creative spirit is something we need to improve and promote, especially in our younger generation.
“Creativity is not only manifested in the creation of an art or a craft. You can learn how to think creatively, so whatever endeavor the child decides to go into, they can foster creativity whenever necessary to be innovative and different.”
He works with private organizations that organize summer camps and does some community development work. He also does some work with the National Institute of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (NIHERST); and Export Centers Co Ltd as a facilitator in the natural resources and raw materials module.
For those who would like to get into the arts in TT, Onilu said it could be difficult to sustain themselves doing what they love because many people in TT do not love the arts.
“It’s kind of hard to reach a certain level, but now that’s changing because of technology and social media.
“It’s all about how you market yourself, the quality of your product and things like that. Now it’s up to you to make your craft profitable.”
