Urhobo Cosmological and Theological Contents of Udu Songs: A Vehicle for Preservation of Tradition and Culture in Nigeria

Abstract

This research examines Urhobo cosmology and theology as expressed in traditional songs. These songs reveal the intimate connection between cosmology and theology, showing that the two concepts are interrelated; theology often helps to explain aspects of cosmology. Urhobo cosmology encompasses beliefs in Oghene (God), edjo (divinities), ega ese emo (ancestral veneration), the realities of the physical and spiritual worlds, and the relationship between the here and now and the hereafter. Theology, understood as the discourse on God, and cosmology, which represents the total worldview of a people, is clearly articulated in Urhobo traditional songs. The purpose of this study is to investigate Urhobo cosmology and theology as revealed in the songs of Udu traditional musicians. The project focuses on selected songs and analyzes them to highlight the codified and systematic worldview embedded within them. The musicians whose works are examined include Chief Amos Ogute Ottan, Chief Gometi Oyibo, Sir Juju Debala, Mr. Udjabor Okololo, and Don Francis Egbeku Kenairu. These musicians, who were born and nurtured within deeply religious environments, naturally reflect in their songs the cosmological and theological beliefs of the Urhobo people. To achieve this purpose, the study adopts phenomenological, hermeneutical, and participant-observation approaches. These involve pre-field preparations, actual fieldwork, and post-field (desk) analysis. After the field process, the selected songs are examined and interpreted to reveal the underlying cosmology and theology of the Urhobo.

Keywords:  Cosmology, Theology, Nigerian culture, Traditional beliefs and Morality.