The credo and dogma that softened the spartan lifestyles of students at Government Secondary School, Owerri, were songs, melodies, chants, renditions, cultural fiesta, plays, and hymns. The movies, social activities, and traditional inter house sports also played their parts to tame the embers of regimented life. It was, therefore, not by happenstance that music was one of the exotic subjects in the school’s thoroughly scrutinized syllabi. The subject was so influential that some cultured, polished, and gifted students were groomed by expert hands to re-enact the legendary masterpiece: ‘Sound of Music’.
‘Sound of Music’ was an American musical drama film that was produced in 1965 by Robert Wise. It projected the lavish lifestyles of the comprador bourgeoisie and the royalty before the second world war. It was quite popular with members of my generation. The rendition of that soul stirring soundtrack by our students in the early 1980s, simply redefined the thrust of culture and arts in the helm of the prestigious school.
The identical twin brothers, Uzoma and Ikenna Egu, who bamboozled us with their flawless American accent, stood out like blazing comets in that unforgettable ensemble that mesmerized the world of culture and enlightenment. The Egus were of the 1978-1983 class set. Their mum, Mrs Renee Egu, an African American, taught English Literature, then, and moulded a lot of characters, positively.
The 1979-1984 class set performed ‘Oh No John’ a popular English folklore about a young man that extolled the beauty of the lady he loved by chanting a breath-taking poetry that would melt the heart of stone. That song had the beauty of Shakespeare’s sonnet and the resonance of Victorian romanticism.
Chidi Okoro of ‘B’ House was the indisputable vocalist, his voice sounded like soprano, dazzling the well-mannered aficionados in the hall. Unlike ‘Sound of Music’ that had political undertones, ‘Oh No John’ simply fed on the primordial recesses of romantic purists. Its sheer poetry and rhythmic echoes were enshrined in the rule books of romance.
The song had seven riveting stanzas; Chidi Okoro, recited the first four stanzas, perfectly, eliciting intermittent standing ovations from the devotees of arts and culture in the hallowed hall. Surely, the world was on his feet or so, it seemed. He looked destined to puncture the fame of the then emerging ‘Musical Youths.’ And then, something strange happened. The unpredictable muses threw spanners in the works, shocking the fragile world of culture. Were the entrails meant for the muses on the crossroads inadvertently profaned by some irreligious bigots? The hitherto confident Chidi Okoro started fumbling, gesticulating wildly, his large eyes rolling nervously. The embers of stage fright tailgated the rafters of the huge Assembly Hall. He was, obviously too young to experience a sudden memory lapse. He did well in the rehearsals, prompting the meticulous music mistress to pencil him to perform that life defining role in the presence of influential personages. Some detractors, in their usual negative manner, felt that he probably became self-infatuated, seeing himself as a ‘mega star’ even before he embraced the surreal podium. There was no denying the young boy’s supreme talent! But one thing was indisputable: The gods had a hand in the unfolding unmitigated disaster. Come to think of it, why was the rendition of ‘Sound of Music’ by the 1978-1983 class set that was just a year ahead of us, almost flawless? Were the muses trying to give in to human foibles by playing ‘holier than thou’ by censoring the celebration of ‘love’ and ‘romance’ by ‘minors’? There was nothing explicit in the lyrics that would compel the uninvited intervention of the muses to ‘moralize and sermonize’ the ensemble! The fair complexioned music mistress, Mrs Osuagwu, turned red, her large eyes rolling embarrassingly in her white eyeballs. Her hard work and sleepless nights had just been torn to shreds. The first stanza was movingly hypnotising:
On yonder hill there stand a maiden
Who she is I do not know;
I shall court her, for her beauty,
She must answer yes or no
Chorus;
O, O, no John
No John, No John. No
But the last stanza added more ‘arrows to the bows’ of most students that cherished the art of wooing girls at the barbed wire fence of neighbouring Federal Government Girls College. Some even took the magical genie to Owerri Girls Secondary School and Akabo Girls Secondary School. Chidi Okoro managed to remember the last stanza, skipping the 5th and 6th stanzas: Everyone heaved sighs of relief:
‘My love and I went to bed together,
There we lay till the cocks did crow;
Open your arms my dearest darling,
Open your arms and let me go
Romantic neophytes still learning the ropes jettisoned the trite monologue that irritated cultured girls in Federal Government Girls College and tried out the tricks in the poetry of ‘O, No John’! Combining that elegant poetry with engrossing lines from James Hardley Chase, were the most potent weapons to nail Umu Fedee, who were obsessed with Queen’s English and flawless elocution. The traffic gridlock caused by elegantly crafted love letters and romance cards at the besotted barbed wire fence of Federal Girls College was unimaginable. Some of the notable conquistadors were: Okey Akogu, aka Ojay, Barry Amarili, Cyprian Njemanze, aka Porous, Uchenna Onyejemesi, aka Rappins, and many others.
But the cultural ensemble, gbogbo, was in a class of its own. It personified cultural renaissance and spiritual rebirth. The drums, flutes, metal gongs and other local musical instruments were dexterously savoured by hugely talented students on the edges of the vast cricket pitch just in front of ‘A’ house and ‘B’ house extension, adjacent Njemanze house. The ensemble was our version of the fabled Atilogwu dance that brought laurels to the old East Central State. The school authority ensured that traditional songs were never subsumed by foreign songs. That balance ensured the celebration of cultural diversity in the intellectually charged landscape. The multicoloured costumes of gbogbo dancers, their sizzling dance steps, electrifying gestures, and amazing flexibility, blended perfectly with the pulsating energy of the sweating drummers and flute players. One of the arrow heads of the cultural ensemble was the indefatigable Olisa Egwuatu, of 1975-1980 class set. He was popularly known then, as Osei TuTu. Students of history are aware that Osei Tutu was the patriarch of Asante empire in the 15th century.
Students who had no talent to play music, act plays or dance in the established traditional manner were comforted by the rhythm of the masterpiece songs in ‘Ancient and Modern’ hymn book. Songs like: New Every Morning is Thy Love, Abide With Me Fast Fall Thou Evening Tide, Stand Up For Jesus, Spirit Divine Attain Our Prayers, soothed frayed nerves in the morning devotion. Christmas carols such as: Silent Night, Once in Royal David’s City, O come All Ye Faithful, reminded everyone of the annual family reunion, sumptuous meals, and traditional chicken of Christmas in their various homes.
Perhaps, the group that radicalized Christian songs, making them sound like rock music was the much-derided Christian Union, CU. It was a very conservative group that canvassed piety. Their sanctimonious dispositions and holier-than-thou pretentions were, expectedly dismissed in a clime where super charged youthful exuberance was the order of the day. But the contempt for their activities did not diminish their creativity. The periodic shows organised by the CU were breaths of fresh air. The use of sophisticated musical instrument in the rendition of scintillating gospel songs in the Assembly hall, totally decimated the solemnity of the traditional songs in Ancient and Modern hymn book. One of their most memorable songs was: ‘I have decided to follow Jesus’. It was pulsating, punchy and overwhelming.
Of course, there were students who never cherished any of the songs from the above-mentioned camps. These deviants thrived in the potpourri of songs that were very vulgar and crude, especially during marathon races or ‘cross country.’ Such vulgar songs were prevalent during inter house sports: Obi kerere nke…!! Ee, oh babe kwa mbele mbele…!! ‘A’ house wayo, wan wan wayo!! Ahidjo tamuna muna..!!!
Every clique had its own space. Napoleon Hill was correct when he declared that: ‘The ladder of success is never crowded at the top.’ No interest group was muzzled on account of its belief or orientation. That was the golden flame that made Government Secondary School the pathfinder of diversity, bipartisanship, multilateralism, and multiculturalism.
ERASMUS NDULUE is a UK based climate activist, novelist, poet, and short story writer. He was the former Head of Department of Health, Safety, Environment and Security in an Oil Services company in Lagos, before relocating to UK.
