Julius OkorieBaring last minute change of plans, legendary folklorist Gentleman Mike Ejeagha will be celebrated afresh as the much awaited premiere of documentary on the nonagenarian holds Saturday, December 21st at GrenHauz Cinema, SPAR Mall Independent Layout, Enugu.
Expectedly accolades will come from far and near in appreciation of the works of a gentleman who made story telling his stock in trade using it to teach lessons of life that cut across generations.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelMany are compelled by his style of music to fall in love with either the lyrics of the music or the story that goes with it.
No Rival To Evergreen Music
When about six months ago his track Enyi Ga Achi (Gwo Gwo Gwo ngwo) released in 1983 was re-awakened by skit maker Brain Jotter, it triggered a lot of emotions not only for veteran musician himself, but also among younger and older generations alike.
For the story teller who boasts of so many other tracks like Uwa Ngbede Ka Mma (slow and steady) which preaches diligence and steadfastness, Udo ka nma (peace is better),Onye nwee o na-ebe onye enwero o na- ebe (Both he who has and he has none are crying) to mention a few, the revival was refreshing and a reminder that hard work indeed pays, if not in the immediate certainly in the long run. Who wouldn’t be delighted to see effort made long ago trending 41 years later.
Younger generations many of who were not born when some of the songs were released have found themselves attracted by the story line and with the social media re-touch have keyed into the dance as well to the point that it is being played in virtually every social gathering today.
The Imezi Owa born Musician and Guitarist has since the trend received several August visitors including the Enugu State Governor His Excellency Peter Mbah who did not only rename Abakpa Nike road after the folklorist but also joined in the Gwo Gwo Gwo dance during the commissioning.
While all these were going on the big one, was in the pipeline. Documentary on the life and times of the legendary musician who has contributed over three hundred recordings to the National Archives of Nigeria produced during his field work to investigate Igbo folklore highlife music.
Preserving Heritage
The documentary, a brain child of Filmmaker, Actor and Entrepreneur, Michael Chineme Ike is aimed bringing to the fore life experience of the nonagenarian, the hurdles he had to jump and efforts he had to put into his works that has impacted on culture and tradition.
In an exclusive interview with Primebusiness.africa, Michael Chineme Ike holds strong passion for preserving heritage, noted that while the music of Gentleman Mike Ejegha has always been out there, many people are not aware of who he is as a person or that he is still alive, including myself.
“As a kid I have always been a fan of his music because of the lessons it carries. So to our surprise we learnt in 2021 that the man is not only alive but going through a tough time. This touched me and as I do not have money to donate. I felt it would be best to use my skills and give this man something that would last a lifetime at the same time creating a material that the upcoming generations can always watch to learn more about such a legend”
The Big Challenge
Film production of any kind never comes cheap and of course comes with a lot of challenges, more so when digging into the past of the 60s 70s and 80s when there was no social media and limited technology in place.
Michael Chineme Ike admitted that funding was a big challenge in the course of making the documentary. “Of course Funding is always a challenge. I am a young independent filmmaker with no backing whatsoever so it wasn’t easy doing this especially considering what it costs to film a documentary. I tried getting people to invest but as Documentary films aren’t really such a money making venture, it was challenging.
READ ALSO :Mike Ejeagha Documentary Premiere: Veteran Actor Pete Edochie, Others To Grace Event
Also there was the issue of getting archival footages. Sadly there weren’t old videos or photos anywhere. Projects like this needs old videos to tell the story better. This was lacking and even the radio and TV stations where Mike Worked at those years could not even provide footages of some of his programs citing a fire incident that burnt everything. This was a huge challenge but somehow I managed to make it work”
Giving Honour To whom It Is Due
In this era when the get rich quick syndrome has eaten deep into the fabrics of the society, the like of Mike Ejeagha who believe in Uwa Ngbede Ka Mma may not be have many taking them as role models. Many today want to ‘arrive’ at 17 if possible and not work diligently for years before hitting it big. In fact gathering little by little is considered old fashion.
Even the music industry today has changed drastically a hit song can make a huge difference in a matter of minutes, and turn the singer into a millionaire with the fame attached.
While the producer of the documentary is not quarreling with the revolution in the music industry and the impact technology has come to input into the system, he hopes to encourage the celebration of legends while they are still alive.
“I hope this will be a wakeup call to our people to start celebrating our legends while they’re alive and to start telling our stories by ourselves because when we don’t, outsiders would come and tell it however they seem fit. When we start investing in projects like this that promotes our culture heritage, then great things will start to happen in our society” he said
Primebusiness.africa understands that the documentary took over two years to produce with no less than estimated N7million pumped into it. Saturday’s event we further gathered will be graced by creme dela creme of the movie and Nollywood industry including legendary Peter Edochie who is expected to be Father of the Day.
Ultimate Desire
Michael Chineme Ike and his team are hoping that Premiere of the documentary will serve as a flag off for more follow up activities
“We hope to honour the legend as we look forward to playing this documentary at festivals worldwide and as many places as possible. We are also looking to distribute to digital platforms as well. This is one way to support the legend via proceeds from the documentary and also underscore that hard work ultimately pays if not today certainly tomorrow.
Coincidentally the yuletide is here, it won’t be a bad idea to go and see the documentary of a Gentleman who used his music to tell stories about life experiences and the lessons that can be learnt from them.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
