Benin Folk Songs

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KingsTalesSongs

Pa Ozin Oziengbe popularly known as ambassador Dr. Erhaitio Sole-Sole performs six songs in this video. The first two songs are folk songs on virtues of brotherliness, values of family life among the Benin people and a moral lesson to despise and discourage greed. The third can be described as a folk song in memory of Ọba Ovonramwen and the altercation between the Benin chiefs and Philip’s party in January 1897. The fourth song is a eulogy and prayer for Ọba Ewuare II as the semi-divine king of the Benin people. The fifth song is a contemporary folk song that describes life in the colonial period. This song reveals the importance that were attached to the possession of bicycles, as men's social status changed. Similarly, it also mentioned the trend of learning handcraft like fashion design and possession of a sewing machine by young ladies in Benin city.

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Referenced in this interview

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