Veteran
high-life singer, Bright Chimezie, has disclosed he is still
flourishing, despite his relocation to the village after being on stage
for about 35 years.
Highlife musician, Bright Chimezie
In a recent chat with The Sun, Nigerian high-life veteran singer,
dancer and composer, Bright Chimezie who is popularly known as Okoro
Junior, has disclosed he is still flourishing, despite his relocation to
the village after being on stage for about 35 years.
The Zigima Sound boss, spoke on the gains and pains of his living in the village and his planned relocation to Lagos.
On if he is in any way making moves to relocate from the village to Lagos:
It is now about 12 years since I relocated to my country home actually,
but I am planning on relocating to Lagos soon. I am working on it but it
would be a gradual process. You would have noticed that I have been
doing a couple of shows in Lagos lately. That is part of the process.
Henceforth in terms of regular shows, our presence would be felt more
often than before in Lagos.
It is part of the process of re-launching the brand in the city. But the
Zigima brand is like an institution, and moving it entirely from the
East back to Lagos would not be a tea party, just as it was, when we
moved down East from Lagos. I was controlling a 16-piece band, and you
know what that means.
On whether the drastic relocation to his home town had paid off in any way:
I don’t know how I would have felt, as someone that promotes indigenous
culture, if my 25-year-old son cannot speak Igbo. It would have been
torturous. It was drastic like you stated because, I took my family home
when my children were still very tender. If I had not done it that
time, I would’t have been able to do it again. So, I didn’t regret it.
Today, my children can speak Igbo fluently. They know their roots, my
people, our culture and everything. So, our relocation has paid off
tremendously. Having achieved my goal, we are now set to start the
process of returning to Lagos.
On how his family felt when they stopped enjoying Lagos life following his relocation:
They were being exposed to ultimate up-town life because we were living
in an elitist environment, which was at Omole estate; and I needed to
expose them to their real culture – to keep them abreast of the
situation back home. It was not easy but it was a decision that I made
as the head of the house. I was pained when I noticed that they were
finding it so difficult to flow with me whenever I spoke Igbo to them.
So, I silently started planning the movement in 2007. I later explained
my plans to my wife and she saw reasons with me. But I must confess that
it was not easy at all.
On the lessons he learned and Inspiration he got when he relocated to his hometown:
From my relocation exercise, I can say it has inspired me to write and
make a new song, which I plan to use as a come-back when I relocate. The
song is almost ready and the working title is Asusu Ejiri Mara Gi
(Identity Language). The truth is that Igboland is a gift to the Igbos,
so are Yorubaland to the Yorubas and Hausaland to the Hausas. To that
effect, every tribe should appreciate their language, and parents should
also strive to ensure that their children speak their language. The
advantages are unquantifiable and my children are already reaping the
advantages, courtesy of my drastic relocation back home.
