Creativity and Expressive Contextualization in Gospel Songs in North-Central Nigeria: The Case of Idoma Gospel Songs

Among the Idoma people of north-central Nigeria, indigenous gospel music has become a popular means of worshipping God and of commenting on everyday life. Although these gospel songs draw themes from the Bible, they also draw on traditional expressive conventions to create a distinct musical genre that conveys the gospel message in ways consistent with Idoma cultural oral conventions, though originally unfamiliar in gospel music performance. They deploy unique communication skills that command audience attention and project self-assertion, privileging personal identity and relationship with God. One objective of this research is to uncover the traditionally unconventional creative styles of Idoma indigenous gospel artists. To do so, we examine two songs by Adams Onjefu, considered one of the foremost exponents of the Idoma indigenous gospel music genre. Observation, interviews, and analysis of this artiste’s recorded songs are the key instruments used to obtain data for this research. Some creative elements employed in Idoma indigenous gospel music include switching from singing to speech mode, the use of Corrective Confrontation (CC), and narrative mode in performances. Together, these demonstrate the artistry continuously engaged across different fora to convey both beauty and deeper understanding of concepts.