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‘Faith is light, and we turn that light into sound’: Afro-Adura, the music uplifting Nigeria amid financial crisis
Facing electricity blackouts and rampant inflation, Nigerians are turning to what is also called ‘trenches music’ to vent their frustrations and find joy and hope in life
This is raw songcraft drawing together gospel, trap and the energetic Nigerian pop style of fuji, leaning heavily on Yoruba proverbs, idioms and faith – adura translates to prayer. Struggle and survival walk hand-in-hand in this music, whose roots are as far back as the late 00s when the popular Afrobeats vocalist Oritse Femi pivoted to faith-centred songwriting with Mercies of the Lord. M3lon’s track Nepa, the haunting opener of his EP When Life Gives You Melons, captures this tension perfectly – it’s a reference to Nigeria’s electric utility company, and a mirror held up to the quiet powerlessness that millions of Nigerians, himself included, live with daily.
Or read this on The Guardian
