Were music

Were music (Yoruba: Wéré) is an indigenous Yoruba music genre which, like ajisari, is used to arouse the Islamic faithful to pray and eat their early morning meal (sahur) during the holy month of Ramadan in Yorubaland. Ajiwere or oniwere translates to "one who performs were music."

Unlike ajisari, which is typically a solo performance, were music is performed in groups. Usually, young men or boys, numbering up to ten or more, come together to write songs and practice dance moves. Again unlike ajisari performers, who sleep a bit and only come out at 2:00 in the morning, the ajiwere or oniwere leave their homes each night shortly after the Isha'a (8:00 PM) and Tarawih prayers. They roam the streets singing and dancing until about 4:00 AM, when they disperse to go prepare for that day's fasting. A couple of days before the end of Ramadan, all of the ajiwere or oniwere groups in the area meet in a town hall to compete for prizes, with the grand prize typically being a shiny silver-plated trophy.

History and evolution

In the early 1970s, the were music genre gained wider popularity and forced its way into mainstream Yoruba culture alongside other popular genres like sakara, apala, waka music, and sekere. The music was popularized beyond its seasonal Ramadan roots by certain Ibadan singers and songwriters such as the late Alhaji Dauda Epo-Akara, Ganiyu Kuti (also known as Gani Irefin), and their Lagos counterparts led by Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde Barrister.

The were singers started playing at parties and concerts in both Ibadan and Lagos. Ultimately, Alhaji Dauda Epo-Akara started producing hit SP and LP records, popularizing the genre and later adapting it into what he called the "Awurebe" sound. Although Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde Barrister was already well known in Lagos, it was Alhaji Dauda Epo-Akara who introduced him to the very important Ibadan music lovers on one of his popular LPs, which he used to pay professional homage to the influential record marketers of the Ogunpa district in Ibadan.

Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde Barrister later experimented with were music by blending it with elements of apala, sakara, and other Yoruba traditional music genres to create a completely new, year-round musical genre known as Fuji music. Today, Fuji music is one of the most prominent indigenous genres in Nigeria, serving as a direct cultural offshoot of traditional were music.Adeniji, Abiodun (2018). "Popular Songs as Literary Texts: an Analysis of Fuji Songs". In Awhefeada, Sunny I.; Omoko, Peter E. (eds.). Scholarship and Commitment: Essays in honour of G.G. Darah. Malthouse Press. p. 335. ISBN 9789785557886.