Ngelenge: The Rhythmic Soul of Mbano

Ngelenge: The Rhythmic Soul of Mbano

 

A Cultural Legacy Born in Ituohia-Ibeme, Isiala Mbano, Imo State, Nigeria

 

Introduction: The Sound That Speaks the Soul

 

Its music is musical and spiritual, but few things bring the heart and spirit into the Ngelenge, one of the most heartfelt music and dance traditions in southeastern Nigeria.

 

Ngelenge, which hails from Ituohia-Ibeme in Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State, is an indigenous heartbeat of the Mbano people. It tits sounds tell the stories of heritage, unity and the deep connections between man, spirit and community.

 

At the heart of its creation is a name that will never be forgotten, Pa Andrew Oguama, once a legend known as Mmirikwe, the inventor of the Ngelenge music tradition. His creation transcended everyday rhythms, and he gave his people an identity that sings along generations.

 

The Birth of Ngelenge and Its Historical Roots

 

Ituohia-Ibeme is the town where Ngelenge started, with its creativity, the communal spirit and preservation of culture. Oral history describes the creative craftman and love of sound, Mmirikwe, an expert craftsman, lived on wood instruments, drums, and flutes to create a rhythm that was unique to any other.

 

When a local invention was born, it became a symbol of unity and celebration, playing at festivals, new yam ceremonies, chieftaincy coronations, wrestling matches, marriages, burials or harvest feasts.

 

Over the years, Ngelenge became more than just entertainment. It became a language. Every beat, every tone, and every dance step told of peace, discipline, love, and belonging.

 

 

The Sound of Ngelenge: Music You Feel, Not Just Hear

 

It cannot be done, or even used, nor done, Ngelenge is experienced.

 

It carries an aspiration to life as running water, rises as prayer, and connects human heart to ancestral memory.

 

The music fuse melody, percussion, and emotion in a narrative format that is an expression of the values of the Mbano people, peace, unity, igwe bu ike, tradition, and omenala.

 

Each performance becomes a conversation between the drummers and the dancers, community and its ancestors, the living and spirit world.

 

Instruments That Shape the Ngelenge Sound

 

In the heart of Ngelenge, an orchestra of traditional African instruments with unique voices that contribute to the rhythm.

 

1. Talking Drum (Gangan/Dundun)

 

A drum that “talks.” Occasionally, the drum hits the cords and lets the cord loose in order to imitate human speech, and the rhythms of this drum communicate praise, instruction or humor.

 

2. Ekwe.

 

The ekwe is made from solid wood as both an instrument and messenger. Its high tone follows rhythm and order, with dancers and drummers navigating it smoothly.

 

3. Udu

 

The bottom is a clay pot drum with deep, bass resonance. The earthy sound connects the performance to the soil, which signifies life and continuity.

 

4. Sekere

 

As a gourd covered in a net of beads or cowries, the sekere adds glitter and texture with a cascading rattle that delights the air.

 

5. Ogene

 

This metallic gong has an imposing, commanding tone. The voice of authority in the ensemble, calling attention, marking transitions and inspiring dancers.

 

6. Agidigbo.

 

A thumb piano laced with melody to the percussion. Its soft plucked notes compliment the drum, balancing gentle harmonic balance.

 

7. Bata & Ashiko Drums:

 

 The dual heads of the bata and the cone shape of the ashiko complement the sounds of the soundscape. They also often carry the “soul rhythm” dancers follow.

 

8. Oja (Flute): 

 

The flute carries melody and emotion. Its haunting voice evokes the cries, laughter or sigh of human heart, weaving stories through the sound.

 

9. Goje:

 

 A stringed fiddle that reminds you of nostalgia and depth; a melodic string fiddle.

 

10. Wooden Planks & Plantain Bodies:

 

 These improvised instruments are unique to Ngelenge, and in part due to Mmirikwe’s artistic genius, they are rubbed rhythmically to add harmonic undertones.

 

Performance: When Rhythm Becomes Story

 

A Ngelenge performance is a feast of sound, color, and movement.

 

In matching rhythm, drummers pause in front of a circle, flutists loop around and out, and dancers, men and women, step, spin, and gesture in perfect alignment with the rhythm.

 

Their costumes are adorned with traditional symbols such as raffia, beads, waist cloths and feathers. Every movement evokes meaning: a reverence, celebration, or storytelling.

 

As an energy, it is communal. The audience cheers, and begins calling in. Everyone becomes part of this rhythm.

 

Spiritual and Communal Essence

 

Ngelenge is sacred in Mbano culture. The thing is not just entertainment; it is the way of ancestry and spiritual balance.

 

At festivals, the rhythm seems to encourage blessings, and unite the people with purpose. It encourages discipline, collaboration, and moral order, virtues that define Mbano identity.

 

Onye Odu Egwu Ngelenge is the leading drummer who is chosen for skill, wisdom, and moral status for a drum that should speak truth only.

 

The Legacy of Pa Andrew “Mmirikwe” Oguama

 

Each cultural rhythm has a father. Ngelenge’s father is Pa Andrew Oguama (Mmirikwe)

 

His genius transformed all types of instruments into a live orchestra. He had learned harmony and human emotion, he created a sound that is still woven into the DNA of his people.

 

The ancestors have long brought him into the fold, but his creation is alive, every beat of Ngelenge represents his heart, and all performances express his own name.

 

Preservation and Modern Revival

 

Like all native cultures, Ngelenge faced the prospect of becoming silence in modern times due to modernization and lost oral transmission. But today an emerging generation of Mbano youth is in revival.

 

Ngelenge is documented, taught, and performed in the style of various like Ibeme progressive union, ituohia home/abroad organisations, Ezealaodu Youth Organization (EYO) and cultural communities in Isiala Mbano to name a few. 

 

The rhythm has been introduced in workshops, community festivals and school programs. It is recording and exploring how to archive its sounds so that the world – not only Mbano – hears its beauty.

 

Ngelenge is making its way to global engagements, where African diasporas will soon celebrate it as a symbol of identity and pride.

 

Symbolism and Meaning

 

Ngelenge is in itself unity, at heart. Each instrument contributes, and embodies, one of its perfect sound, an example of community life.

 

Each listener reminds us that harmony comes from everyone playing their part.

 

It is consistent with the Igwe bu ike philosophy, “Igwe bu ike; there is strength in unity”.

 

The dance of Ngelenge is to dance the philosophy of life, balance, peace and rhythm that make the world whole.

 

Ngelenge is more than music.

 

At the rhythm of the rhythm, generations remember who they are, children of melody, peace, and heritage.

 

When the flutes sound, the drums thunder, the spirit of Ngelenge speaks again.

 

The culture is not dead. It lives in our rhythm.

 

Ngelenge Lives On.

 

Written By: Engr. Johnbest C. Obialo

 

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