Abstract:
Drums are diverse and are used in a variety of contexts in Yorùbá culture. Bẹ̀ mbé̩ , an outer-faced
cylindrical membrane drum nuanced by its symbolic spiritual identity, enlivens Yoruba religious
and semi-religious soundscapes in the Southwest Nigeria and other Yorùbá-populated regions
across the Atlantic. Previous studies on the bẹ̀ mbé̩ focused largely on the parameters of its
distribution, categorisation and functions among the Yorùbá, with little attention paid to the
spiritual interconnection and apparent transformation of its instrumental technology and
performance as a musical art. This study was, therefore, designed to investigate the intersection of
spirituality, instrumental technology, and performance practice of bẹ̀ mbẹ́ drum music in Oyo
State, Nigeria.
Structural Functionalist and Political Ecology theories served as the framework for this
ethnomusicological study. Purposive sampling was used to select Ibadan (urban) and two rural
towns: Basi and Tapa, in Oyo State of Nigeria, where bẹ̀mbẹ́ drum construction and
performances are prominent. Focus group discussions were held with two designated families
that are custodians of the ìgunnu(kó) and Òòsà Tapa ritual worship traditions in Basi and Tapa
towns, respectively. Key informant interviews were conducted with five leaders of bẹ̀ mbé̩ music
ensembles, two wood traders, two chief priests, three clerics of African indigenous church
denomination, three choir leaders, two bẹ̀ mbé̩ drum makers, and one instrumental technologist.
Data on construction processes and performances were generated through participant observation
techniques. The data were subjected to content and musicological analyses.
Spiritual nuances were shaped by what bẹ̀ mbé̩ musicians and drum makers chose to emphasise as
sacred and authentic in the light of agential and neoliberal paradigms. Although the bẹ̀ mbé̩ was
prominently used as a sacred drum in the rural areas, its social evolution, particularly its
technology, resulted in modern adaptation and appropriation to contemporary religious contexts
in the urban area. To this end, an "Instru- spiritual evolution" emerged based on bẹ̀ mbé̩ 's new
outward-facing production. Despite accepting the new technological ideals, seasoned drum
makers in Ibadan steadfastly upheld the spiritual belief and practices regarding the indigenous
technology of the bẹ̀ mbé̩ . Neoliberal activities of the Basi people aimed towards commercialising
and propagating the social aspects of the ìgunnu cult influenced the shift in the embodied spiritual
significance of the bẹ̀ mbé̩ . Nonetheless, spiritual nuances persisted in bẹ̀ mbé̩ music performance
and construction processes not only within ìgunnukó and Òòsà Tapa rituals, but also in African
indigenous church settings.
Ambivalent rural and urban engagements expressed in the intersection of instrumental technology
and performance practice of bẹ̀mbé̩ drum music in Oyo State, Nigeria reflect continuity and shifts
within spiritual space. Bẹ̀ mbé̩ musicology draws on the nuanced technological shift in an
experimental narrative and transformation mainly propelled by alternative materials and
influenced by ecological crisis, and an acceleration towards market expansion.
