BENJAMIN NJOKU
He was as born Joseph Oguchi Jacobs, but his fans call him Saro-Wiwa.Saro-Wiwa’s story reads like a novel. He started his music from the scratch without a mentor, and today he is a strong force to be reckoned with, when you talk of highlife especially in the South -eastern States where he holds sway.
Saro-Wiwa
In the five years since he made his debut with the album, Bongo Jere Uzo Ije, he has become a household name.
Among his people(the Igbos), for instance he has a hero. Saro-Wiwa’s music rules in market places, Hotels, beer parlors, in buses, social gathering and in the comfort of your home.
Today, non-Igbo speaking people who hardly understand the language of his music and other bongo musicians truly enjoy the rhythm.
Recently, Sunday Entertainment ran into this young bongo musician at a function in Owerri, where he recounted the circumstances that led to his rise from grass to grace in the music industry. The soft-spoken highlife musician whose voice betrays his age, is in his early thirties.
At home, he is a lovable and easy-going person, someone who is deeply in love with the music of his root. And on stage, he is the heir-apparent to the living legend of our time, Dan Orji of the old Peacock International Band.
Unknown to many, Saro-Wiwa whose genre of music has brought joy to millions of Nigerians, studied Urban and Regional Planning, at the Abia State University, Uturu.
Born into a family of musicians, his incursion was therefore no accident.
According to him, his father’s ambition to become a renowned musician was stalled by his grandfather, but nevertheless, he made good his dream by helping his son compose the song late Edere Chukwueke.
For Saro-Wiwa, singing is a divine gift from God as he remarked, “nobody taught me how to sing, except God.”
He said, his “Bongo Jere Uzo Ije” album, which he released four years ago was an expression of his love for adventure. ‘Talk of my other track “Onye Awausa Sanu de ziwa”, the song recaptured the story of my journey to the Northern part of the country.”
Narrating how he started music, Saro-Wiwa, the third in a family of seven said, he never believed he would become a musician someday because his family never supported him.
“ I never believed I’d become a professional musician. Music is a thing I like doing, but when I started singing, my family never supported me. They insisted that I must complete my education.
I did not give up the dream but continued with my education. I love singing, and it’s one of the things that makes me happy.”
Saro-Wiwa released his first album in 1998, unfortunately the album sold only within the Southeast axis was not a hit.
Faced with the challenges of matching strength with other emerging bongo musicians, Saro-Wiwa who started out playing Egwu Atilogwu went back to the drawing board. His second album also failed to impress.
At this point, “I cried to God to see me through, vowing that should my next album fail, I’d abandon music and travel out of the country to seek greener pastures.
Fortunately my third “Bong Jere Uzo Ije” released in 2005 was an instant success.
It was an explosion”
Saro-Wiwa who has since confirmed his rating with the release of “Bongo Jere Uzo Ije” Volume II is working on a special album which he said, will be released during the Easter celebration.
Asked how he came about the name, Saro-Wiwa, the Egbu, Owerri born musician said, “I started bearing the name when I came back from Port-Harcourt, where I sojourned for a very long time. My school mates nicknamed me Saro-Wiwa, because according to them, I look like the late Ken Saro-Wiwa.
In the past when I was called the name, I took offence when I realised that Ken Saro-Wiwa was an activist and a great man who sacrificed his life for the freedom of his people, I resolved to adopt the name as a point of contact for God to enlarge my coast and make me popular all over the universe. And before I knew what was happening, Saro-Wiwa consumed my birth name
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