By Ekanpou Enewaridideke
Ijaw people say that a brook or canal hastily dammed up for fish-hunting can never catch any fish. If you are the type of person who hurries all the time running feverishly, allow Chief Mitin of Ndoro (the Regent) to educate you. To Chief Mitin, there is no basis for haste, because there is no unbeatable runner in this world. If you must run, as Chief Mitin admonishes, first be sure that you have a prepared house you will run into. Don’t be in a hurry in any positive things you are doing.
Some people come to watch my stage performances with preconceived songs. By this, I mean that there are certain songs such people want you to play on the stage before any other songs the musician had wished to sing. When such songs are not played or sung, they grow angry at your stage perfornance. For such people they do not know that music is a ladder made up of rungs designed to be followed methodically to the top. The rungs or steps on the ladder are not meant to be missed. My brothers and sisters, if it is Izonebi you have actually come to watch on stage, please do not be in a hurry.
I can still vividly recall the voice of education by Ekanpou E. Enewaridideke the writer who says thus: Be dedicated to whatever you are doing. If music is your chosen career, be devoted, and when you are devoted to it, you will eventually reap the fruits of your hardwork.
Early morning bird gallivanting on the sandbank does not turn the sandbank into its roost. Therefore, don’t be in a hurry. Breeze and wind are not identical in their look. Just wait and see the end because a greater festival of celebration is in the offing (coming from the front).
Songs and inspiration are inextricably linked. Without inspiration songs cannot be expelled from the womb. Songs die in the womb without inspiration. Inspiration is the midwife of songs in the womb. No musician can thrive without inspiration. For an inspired musician like me today, the songs become wind and Ebiri through the divine process of inspirational transformation.
Peremobowei Ebebi and Endakuwei are saying that wind and breeze are two different phenomena. My brothers and sisters, do not be in a hurry when you have come to watch my stage performances. Just wait and see because morning bird does not turn the sandbank into its roost.
Some people listening to this my song may be tempted to give it an odd contrary interpretation and dramatise it. If you give this song an odd interpretation, then the song is older than you. When you eventually come to the right interpretation and know the age-difference between you and the song, Izonebi has journeyer far away from you.
Dear Ekanpou, the night has just broken into day. Dear Alapala, the day has just dawned. Dear Otiki Gbodo, the night has just broken into day. My music career has just begun. Please do not pressurise me to sing particular songs on the stage. If you have actually come to watch me on stage, wait patiently because the songs are purposefully programmed for morning, evening and midnight. Don’t be in haste. Just wait patiently and see.
Dear Warri Mama, the night has just broken into day. Dear Lucky Yobowa, the night has just broken into day. My Meintoru people, don’t worry and fear because the night has just broken into day. Dear Buloutoru people, the night has just broken into day. Dear Tuborutoru people, the night has just broken into day. Entertain no fear and worry for me because this is just the dawn of my songs and musical career. Ekereamame of Angalabiri says the night has just broken into day and so there should be no cause for fear, worry and haste. There can never be rain without breeze and there can never be wind without rain.
Tompolo says you people should wait and see what Izonebi will do in the end. Boro Opudu says you people should wait and see what happens in the end because early morning bird does not sleep on the sandbank. Brothers and sisters, wait patiently and see what happens because breeze, rain and wind are different phenomena.
Izonebi is a river of songs because he is duma duma duma. Since Abayai Forest has cleared the way for Izonebi, may songs never run dry in the mouth of Izonebi. Since King Robert Ebizimor is behind Izonebi, may songs never run dry in the mouth of Izonebi.
The songs of Izonebi are systematically and stylistically varied on the stage. Even if it is the morning songs, evening songs or midnight songs you wish to enjoy on my stage,you will eventually have them but be ready to wait patiently and see.
Don’t be in a hurry because all the songs are methodically programmed to be sung according to an ordered framework. If you wait patiently, you will get to the point your valued songs will be sung.
My fans and believers, do not come to my stage performance with preconceived songs and pressurise me to sing your choice songs different from my repertoire of songs for that day, but just wait and see me sail gradually to that your choice territory of stimulating songs because a canal or brook hurriedly dammed up will not entrap or catch any fish.
Dear Okito, Promise, Kenneth, Goddy, Egole, Eniye, Igali, Fere and Peres, the night has just broken into day and so nobody should be in a hurry because a bigger celebration is coming from the front (transliteration).
Prince Mirin Johnson, Tito, Kanko, Kingsley of Ndoro, Welebu and Emotonghan hold the strong position that everybody should wait and see because the day has just dawned for Izonebi. There is no basis for haste.
Dear King Robert Ebizimor, your music alele, your dance alele, has begun to blow. Izonebi music flag has begun to blow. Dear Robby, this Izonebi music alele is your own flag blowing. Robby, your music flag is blowing now. Robby, do amazing things for people to see. It is your son Izonebi who is now on the playground. Robby, inspire your son to do amazing things for the people. Dear Robby, send your music spirit into me because the people are waiting to see me perform.
Time has come full circle. Ebiri, come now! Wind, come now! King Robert Ebizimor music spirit, come now! Robert Ebizimor’s music spirit could be in the wind or Ebiri. Wind, Ebiri or breeze, Robert’s music spirit should come and possess me now because the time has come full circle for king Robert Ebizimor to possess me musically and turn the breeze rain, wind and Ebiri into my instruments to shine and soar musically for the people to see.
Dear King Robert Ebizimor, possess me and do amazing things because Tompolo, Kingsley Kuku, Chief Tunde, Boro Opudu, Chief Mitin, Alapala, Otiki Gbodo, Ayakeme Whisky, Chief Edenkumo, Ebikebina, Warri Mama, Mirin Johnson, Kingsley Ndoro Tubou, Lucky Yobowa and Richman Endakuwei are already on the playground. Robby, even if it is in the wind, breeze, rain or Ebiri you reside, possess me now and make me do amazing things for the people to see because the time has come full circle.
Though located as my anchorage point for my voyage around King Izonebi today, clearly distilled from King Alfred Izonebi’s song ‘Wait and See’ is the striking revelation that Tompolo is on the playground waiting for Izonebi…Oh wind, come now! Oh Ebiri, come now! Oh God, make amazing things for everybody waiting to watch my performance on the playground. Oh God, use me as the instrument to perform amazingly for my fans and believers to be amazingly entertained on the arena since they are already on the playground waiting for me. Yet there is King Robert Ebizimor in the wind, rain and breeze.
Oh wind, I cannot do anything without you! Oh rain, I cannot do anything without you! Oh breeze, I cannot do anything without you! Abayai Forest is behind me! King Robert Ebizimor is behind me!Come upon me now you wind, rain, breeze and Ebiri because Abayai Forest and King Robert Ebizimor are already there for me – solidly at my back.
Ekanpou Enewaridideke
Writes from Akparemogbene
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