Nigerian Music Nigeria – Buchi: My Music Wins Souls

Source: 6 August.2010

WHY REGGAE?
Buchi Atuonwu is a writer and singer whose pre-occupation is to propagate the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ and that inform what I do and how I do what I do. There is no conflict between reggae and gospel, because gospel is not music; it is my subject matter and my theme, while the style is reggae. Reggae is really an artistic style. It is a style of music that has nothing to do with the lyrical content of the music; so, why not gospel reggae? The gospel can be carried in just about any form or style, as long as the gospel is preached.

Well, it is relative now. My first involvement in professional music was 1986/87 during my youth service. But all that was secular. I went ahead to do a few other things as a secular musician, but I did not get into gospel until after I got born again in 1992 and became a member of the choir of Christ Embassy Church. That was when I began to contemplate coming back into music, but now with a new message. But that did not happen until 1999, when I released my first album, “These Days.” So I had been born again for like seven years before I took up music again professionally.

‘These Days’ was my first release, where I sang songs like “What Am I to God?” That is the one that won the first award and made appreciable impact. I also had songs like “Jesus Must Be Honoured.” I had seven tracks, which were predominantly reggae and then one calypso. It was all about the gospel and the title track, ‘These Days’ talked about the second coming of Jesus Christ or rather rapture, which tries to open our eyes to the times in which we live. These are the things the prophets spoke about when they said ‘in that day’; they were referring to these days, which we live.

THE CHALLENGES
People often ask me why reggae, because people have all forms of notions about music and a lot of people before now had thought that reggae music was something antithetical to the gospel or good morals. So, they would easily associate reggae with ganja. So I have people asking me questions like, why don’t you do gospel and if you don’t want to do gospel, go ahead and do reggae and let us know you are doing reggae music. So acceptability or acceptance; that was the first challenge I faced among a lot of people.

I had several challenges in that regard, but I knew this was of God; he asked me to do it, I knew the content of my music was gospel and I knew that I had become a Christian. I wasn’t singing because I wanted to express just any idea and I wasn’t singing from the outside because I knew that I had become a new man and I knew that there was nothing evil in this new me. So, I don’t feel guilty about it. I came back to understand that I was right, so I persisted.

But now, I am glad to say that the pre-conceived notion is totally gone. It didn’t just take one album for that yoke to break; it took four albums at an interval of three years. The second album was released in 2002. ‘So Beautiful’, that is the title of the album and the third, released in 2005, is titled “What a Life.” The fourth in 2008 was ‘Sound of Life.’ And, all of them won awards.

GENESIS
I was born in Kaduna in 1964. But let me quickly say that I don’t like to talk about myself. I prefer to talk about my works. I don’t want to be connected to any ethnic region and age bracket. I just want my fans to hear what I am saying and receive my message. It is not about me, the message and the music that I sing are bigger than me. The transforming power of the word of God is the central theme of my music and writings. I have published two books; ‘Ceasefire’ and ‘Behind the Sun.’ ‘Behind the Sun’ is a collection of poems and lyrics of my songs and the inspiration behind the songs. ‘Ceasefire’ is a novel based on campus cultism and their activities and is intended to undermine violence.

THE BREAKTHROUGH
I don’t know which f my albums could be regarded as the best. The first one was quite successful, but I just noticed that as time went on, Buchi seems to become more popular among the people. I cannot place my finger on which album made me. I have heard people say it was the first, some also said it was the second album. When I released “It is Well,” some said that was it, while I have also heard others say it is my third album. But I would say from the outset, my albums have been quite successful.

BUCHI AND WOMEN
I am married and I don’t face any challenge from women, because it is not just a musician that is exposed to women, everyone is exposed to women. If you don’t see them as women but as mothers, and if you don’t see them as strange women but as sisters, then you won’t face challenges. If you don’t see them as sex objects, but as sisters, you won’t face challenges. In other words, temptation is not what you see; temptation is in the heart of the one who sees it. One person sees a thing and is not tempted and another person sees the same thing and is tempted. It is not a function of what is seen as much as it is a function of the heart that sees it. Let me put it deeper, if you mind the things of the spirit, you will not fulfil the desires of the flesh.

BUCHI’S OTHER PASSION
If I had not been a musician, I would have remained a teacher. I was a lecturer after all. I was teaching in the university before I came into music. I guess I would have continued as a teacher in the university if I had not become a musician. I left the University of Lagos for music while lecturing and writing a doctoral thesis. On going back to complete my thesis, I keep saying this year, next year, I think I am waiting for the time when I will not struggle with it. It won’t be by my strength, I am waiting for that same push that will trigger me out in the first place, but my desire is there strongly and I have not stopped seeing myself as a student of English Language. I have not stopped seeing myself as a teacher and as the Buchi in the classroom. That is why the stage has become an extension of the classroom. What I am doing is also an impartation, just the way you do in classrooms. What I am doing is also tutoring people, just that the subject is different.

IS GOSPEL MUSIC PROFITABLE?
Yes, it is profitable; if you mean gospel music. I encourage those coming behind to embrace it, but they should not let pecuniary gains be their purpose, although that will be added unto it as time goes on.

WHAT TO EXPECT
More songs, more books and who knows? I might become the president of Nigeria and when I do, I will address education. I think the neglect of the sector by those who rule us is responsible for the social and political chaos in this country, because the system has thrown up all sorts of character. Our national assembly is not the best we can offer. Our rulers do not represent the best we can offer, our journalists are not the best we can offer, you find these things in every sphere of our lives. So, if I find myself in authority, power or government, I will first of all address education. I will put it right; I believe that is the most used cliché. Education is the bedrock of every progressive society. If you ignore education, the society goes to waste because mediocrity will rule.

Power is also necessary because those are the basics; they are things that should be in place. I do hope that before such a time when people like Buchi will be in government, if it would ever be, the issues would have been sorted out. It is a thing I hope would be sorted out in a matter of months, not years. I am working on videos of the last album I released. I am working on the videos and I am also recording. All previous albums have come at an interval of three years. If I go by that, I’ll release the next one by 2011. And, I hope in it, I will be able to put down a package.

MY MUSIC WINS SOULS
Yes, my music is a tool for soul winning. I have seen so many of my colleagues in the reggae world come to Christ. I am really and truly grateful to God; that is what I prayed for. I’ve seen people change and turn around on campuses. I want people to understand the time in which we are; this is the end of this age. We are at the end of this age. This is not the time to get close to God; it is the time to get into God because that is the only secure place.

Nigerian Music Nigeria Buchi