In a dimly lit room at the Arts Court Theatre in downtown Ottawa, Alaukwu Anozie and Uchechi Ogbonna recounted stories, traditionally called “tales by moonlight,” propelled by the rhythmic beat of drums.
Hosted by Ottawa StoryTellers, “Whispers of Tradition: Nigeria’s Untold Legends” featured the two performers’ tales from their Nigerian hometown. They were accompanied by musician Jack Pyl, whose vocals, drums and flutes accompanied the stories.
A digital creator inspired by her Nigerian roots, Ogbonna recounted that, elders would sit under the moonlight and tell myths, folklores and tales in Nigerian village compounds. Ogbonna said she took inspiration from the tales she was told as a child in Nigeria.
“Some of the stories we will have emotional connections to, because they remind me of my childhood and where I am coming from,” she said.
The stories told at the Arts Court starred anthropomorphic animals, like the cunning tortoise character that featured prominently in four of the 16 stories.
“Most of our traditional stories in Nigeria are around animals,” Ogbonna said. “It’s an animal world.”
Pyl’s music evoked the spirit of the animals in the stories. The audience heard leopards running during the story “The Leopard Man” as Pyl banged on drums.Stories also featured birds chirping during “The Voices of the Bird” as he played the flute.
“African cultures … think of all creatures as people, whether they have two legs or four,” Pyl said.
His main instrument of choice was the djembe, a West African goblet-shaped hand drum that uses rope for tuning and to create a resonating sound.
Ogbonna said stories are important in Nigerian culture because they explain the origins of the world. She said the tales also offer moral value in what they teach, such as in the story “The Secret of the Fishing Basket,” where a fisherman helps a stranger in disguise, who turns out to be, the king of all fishes and grants the stranger baskets full of fish so he can make a living.
Anozie said oral storytelling is an important tradition, especially for the Igbo, a Nigerian ethnic group from which he finds his roots.
“Storytelling has always been a huge part of my family,” Anozie said. “Culturally, Igbo people like to speak in proverbs and analogies and allegories.”
He discovered Ottawa Storytellers in his final year of his undergraduate degree at Carleton, and has since shared his stories at multiple events.
“When you give people the space to describe their own experience, you actually would be amazed at how much more insight you get from them,” Anozie said. “All your biases start to wash away and it opens you up to see the world and people more dynamically.”
Anozie said he was “honoured” to tell Nigeria’s stories during Black History Month. He said his goal in storytelling is to help people from other cultures feel more connected to Black history throughout the year.
“I strive to be able to share and give a bit of insight and open up people’s minds about Black history as often as I can,” he said. “The world is not as separated as we like to think it is.”
Featured Image by Gabriella Rodrigues/the Charlatan.
