- 9ralife -
Away in Germany, Anselm Ramacher, 43, veteran drummer who settled for the African Music style and specializes on Bata Beats, Fuji songs and the assorted African traditional percussion discusses with 9ralife his choice of this travesty.
In this discussion with citizen journalist Segun O’Law on 9ralife.com, Ramacher discusses why he is called ‘Ayan’, a household name bequeathed only to families of drummers in Yoruba land and who bestowed him the title as well as his experience of ceremonies of various deities; Sango, Osun, Ogun during his visits and live performances at those events. He explained his interest to settle for the African Genre of Music and particularly his choice of the Yoruba traditional Bata, Gangan, Dundun and the Fuji music among other sub-genres.
Throughout the interview with 9ralife, Ayantunde Ramacher spoke Yoruba language just as he opted for it in the very beginning; but no worries, we subtitled for you.
N.B: His responses are boldened to distinguish them from questions. 'Yor' means Yoruba as originally spoken, while 'Eng' means its translation into English language.
Enjoy!
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Yor: Ekaaro Ogbeni Ayan. Se alaafia ni?
Eng: Good Morning Mr. Ayan. Hope You Are Fine!
Yoruba: Adupe
Eng: We give thanks to God
Yor: Saaju, e je ki a da yin mo
Eng: Firstly, Let’s Meet You
Yor: Ehen. Emi ni Ogbeni "Anselm Ramacher" lati Orile Ede Germany . Awon Yoruba ma npe mi ni Ayantunde nitori o ti pe ti mo ti nko ilu yoruba ni Nigeria
Eng: Yea. I am Mr. “Anselm Ramacher” from Germany. The Yoruba’s call me Ayantunde because I put a long time into learning Yoruba drumbeats in Nigeria
Yor: O ti to bi Odin melo to e ti n lu ilu ati wipe, igba wo gan ni e wa si orile ede naijiriya?
Eng: For how long have you been playing the drums and since when did you come into Nigeria?
Yor: O ti pe ti mo nlulu. Mo nlulu fun odun merinlelogun bayi sugbon ilu Yoruba ni mo ti bere ni odun merindinlogun seyin . Ni ipari odun 1996 ni mo koko de si Nigeria. Mo ti lo si Nigeria lodoodun titi di Odun 2003. Mo ma tun wa sibe ni odun 2014
Eng: It’s been a while now. I’ve played drums for twenty-four years now, but I began playing Yoruba drumbeats sixteen years ago.
Yor: O wuni lori. Ilu wo gan, tabi Ipinle wo gan ni ile Yoruba ni e de ti beere si ni lu ilu?
Eng: Impressive! In which South-western State did you begin playing traditional drumbeats?
Yor: Mo ti ko ilu ni ilu Erin Osun ni ipinle Osun. O wa lagbegbe Osogbo. Oga mi onilu to nko mi nilu daadaa ni Lamidi Ayankunle to nse baba pataki ni Ilu Bata. Gbogbo awon araale re ni Erin Osun ni won ti mu mi lo sode orisirisi ki n ba won lulu
Eng: I learned to beat the drums at Erin Osun in Osun State, near Oshogbo. My master at it was Lamidi Ayankunle who is an important master of the Bata beats. His kinsmen at Erin Osun have taken me on several outings to play the drums for them
Yor: Ise wo gan ni e n se ni Ilu Germany bayi?
Eng: What’s your occupation there in Germany?
Yor: Mo nsise ninu institution ibiti a ma ran awon arugbo lowo ti won ni aisan opolo ati aisan orisirisi miin
Sugbon mo si tun lulu naa pelu awon egbe mi
Eng: I work in an institution helping old people living with serial illnesses, but I also play drums with my band here.
Yor: Se pe e ni egbe awon oni ilu ni Orile ede Germany bayi?
Eng: So, you maintain a drummers’ band in Germany?
Yor: Meji ninu awon egbe yii ma nlu ilu Yoruba, sugbon oyinbo ni awa. Awon egbe yii je "Oyinbos " ati "Bata Futji " . Sugbon Oyinbo ni mejeeji.
Mo tun lulu pelu original Nigerian Group to wa ni Germany
O ti pe ti mo ri interest ninu African Music . Mo ti ra records orisirisi . Lagbara Olorun mo ti ri anfaani lati mo ju bee lo nipa awon Yoruba
Mo ti pade awon ore mi pataki lati ilu Munich , Germany ti won ti mo Onibata Lamidi Ayankunle tele . Won naa ti lo ki i ni Nigeria leemeji . Lamidi ti se concert tour pelu egbe re ni Germany ninu awon late 1980s.
Eyi to wu mi nipa ilu Yoruba ni asa ifi ilu soro gege bi ohun enu eniyan . Eyi ti ko wopo ni gbogbo agbaiye . Ko wopo ni gbogbo ile Afrika gaan . Awon Togo pelu Bini ati awon Ghana ma filu soro naa sugbon asa won ko jo ti awon Yoruba. Eyi to tun wu mi ni "Dancer -Drummer interaction ". Mo feran bi awon Onibata ati awon Onijo ma jo sere papo
Eng: Two members of the band play the Yoruba beats, but we all are whites. These band groupings are “Oyinbos” and “Bata Futji”. Both however consist of white men.
I also play drums with original Nigerian Group here in Germany. I had long found interest in African Music. I bought series of their records. By God’s grace I have had privilege to know adequately about the Yoruba’s
Yor: Ilu gangan nko? Nje e ti gbiyanju e wo? Tabi awon omiran ti o tun yato si ti Bata?
Eng: What of the Gangan drum, have you played that before or other types aside from the Bata drum?
Yor: Mo si tun lu ilu gangan. Beeni. Mo si tun lu eyi to tobi ju gangan lo. Ilu Dundun. Dundun ati Gangan yato si Bata sugbon mo ti mo meteeta
Eng: I also played the Gangan, yes! I even played superior one to it, that is, the Dundun drum. Dundun and Gangan are quite different from the Bata drum, but I have played all three.
Yor: Bawo ni Ilu lilu se ni ere lori si? Nje eniyan le fi se ise aayo?
Eng: How rewarding is it to play the drums professionally?
Yor: Haaaa. Ko easy lati se onilu nikan ooo. O daa lati tun se ise miran si nitori traditional African Music ko se easy sometimes ni ilu wa
Eng: Haa, it’s not very easy to live only on playing the drums. It’s better to add other jobs because African Music is not so common with people here
Yor: Hmmnn. A ri wipe eniyan gbodo ni passion lati se ise ilu yii nitori wipe ko fi bee ni owo lori.
Eng: It appears one must have deep passion to stay on playing the drums, otherwise there’s no sustainable revenue from it
Yor: Ooto oro ni. A gbodo ni ife si. Sugbon anfaani nla wa leekookan.
Eng: You are right. One must love it. But then there are opportunities, occasionally
Yor: Bawo wa ni demand fun ise yi ni Ile Germany ti e wa? Se Ilu bata ati African music naa ni e n se fun opolopo awon oyinbo ti o wa nibe abi e tun lu style tiwon naa pelu?
Eng: What’s the demand for Bata and the African Music in Germany; is it Bata you often play to the Germans?
Yor: Mo nlu traditional bata. Mo tun lu gangan fuji pelu elements of Rock. Fusion ni eyi . Ninu awon egbe miran mo ma nfi afrocuban percussion lulu fun different styles bi Jazz ati Funk, etc. Ni odun to koja ni mo ti support dance courses repete pelu bata mi. Ojo nla kan ti o fe so ni pe mo lulu fun Naija @50 ni September 2010. Ambassador ti Nigeria ti invite mi fun eyi si capital of Germany, Berlin
Eng: I play traditional bata. In addition to it I play Gangan fuji with some elements of Rock, which is fusion. With other bands I make AfroCuban percussion to craft different beats that sometimes come into Jazz, Funk and the rest. Last year, I supported dance courses greatly with my Bata beat. One highlight I'd love to mention is that I played at Naija @50 event in September, 2010. Nigeria's Ambassador to Germany invited me to play at the event at the German Capital, Berlin
Yor: Wow! A ri wipe e ti gbe ise yii l'aruge gan ni. Sugbon laarin gbogbo awon styles beat ti e maa n se, ewo gan ni demand po fun julo ni ile Germany ti e wa yen?
Eng: Wow! It’s obvious you really took this with passion abroad. However, which of these beats you play with versatility has most demand there in Germany?
Yor: Demand ko easy lati so . Nitori kosi nkankan to je tuntun loju awon eniyan afi Nigeria Music. Ti mo tele demand gaan mo gbodo lu hiphop abi mo gbodo reproduce oldie songs . Sugbon gbogbo eyi ko te mi lorun rara . Eyi ti a nwo ni pe awon eniyan nife si ilu , drumming in particular . Awon to wa ni iduunnu abi good mood ni won ma jo si wa daadaa. Mo tun ri wipe awon eniyan nife lati ko ilu gaan . Sugbon Djembe lati Guinea abi Mali je favourite ti won. Ilu Yoruba ti yato
Sugbon ilu Yoruba ko ti i mimo to bee titi doni. Ka ma woran eyi to sele Sugbon ju gbogbo re lo mo ma ngbadun lati lulu fun concert . Awon public naa ma ngbadun wa ooo
Eng: It’s not easy to talk about demand here because nothing is really new to people here except for Nigerian Music. As yet, I must mix my rendition with some hip-hop beats or reproduce some oldie songs but I’m not too pleased with this. What is apparent is audience love for the beats. Those in good mood dance so well to our beats. I also discovered people love to learn playing drums here, although Djembe of Guinea or the Mali had been there favorite. Yoruba beats are not yet popular here but we keep watching the trend. Above all, I enjoy playing at concerts, the public enjoy when we play.
Yor: Nje e n fi ise yi ko awon eniyan die die?
Eng: Do you train people on this beat?
Beeni. Mo ma nko die lawon eniyan nilu. Mo ti ko awon menba egbe mi nilu. Mo tun ti ko awon eniyan miran nilu
Mo tun ma ntun ilu se . Ilu Gangan ni mo le tun se daadaa . Awon Yoruba naa ma nwa sodo mi lati toro iranlowo mi
Eng: Yes. I have trained some people on it. I trained some members of my band and some others out there. I also repair damaged drums, especially the Gangan which I know how to repair perfectly. The Yoruba’s sometimes call at my place for similar service.
Yor: Ni Ilu Oshogbo ti e daruko leekan yen, won maa n se Odun 'Osun Oshogbo'. Nje e gbo tabi kopa ninu re ri?
Eng: In Osun State you mentioned earlier, the indigenes celebrate ‘Osun Oshogbo’ day. Have you heard or participated in this before?
Yor: Beeni . Mo ti wa lodun Osun Osogbo ni odun 2000. Mo tun ti kopa ninu Odun Orisa orisirisi miran bi Odun Sango , Ifa , Obalufon , Obedu ati Erinle
Eng: Yes. I was at the Osun festival in year 2000. I also participated in celebration of other deities like the Sango, Ifa, Obalufon, Obedu and Erinle festivals.
Yor: E kare! Ki ni awon nkan ti e ri nipa awon Oosa won yi?
Eng: Kudos! What have you noticed of these deities?
Yor: Hm. Ti Sango ni agbara. Ijoba pelu metaphysical powers ati gbogbo awon nkan to je ti okunrin. Osun ni ti gbogbo nkan obinrin. Ibimo, Itoju omo ati ebi, Alaafia ati Ewa. Ife laarin okunrin ati obinrin . Obalufon je orisa ti ise ide , ti creativity . Ile Ife ni ilu oun tele . Ifa ni ti imo ati ogbon . Nipa gbogbo nkan a le toro Ifa . Awon odu orisirisi ni imo gbogbo . Obedu ni won pe Orisa pataki ti ilu Oba Oke nipinle Osun . Erinle je Orisa ti Eran (Animal God ) . Mi o mo nkan po nipa Erinle sugbon Ogun, Obatala ati Sonponna ni mo mo. Ju gbogbo re lo ti ilu lo wu mi ju. Emi kiise religious expert like that
Eng: Hm. That of Sango is serious. Its essence revolves around Government, metaphysical powers and everything of the masculine. Osun represents everything of the feminine; child bearing, nursing and family maintenance, peaceful existence and magnificence; love life among couples. Obalufon is remarked for creativity. It’s origin is Ile-Ife. Ifa is for wisdom, we can request anything from the Ifa. Obedu is popular among the people of Oba Oke, also in Osun State. Erinle is deity that oversees affairs of animal kingdom. I really don’t know much about the Erinle, but am very familiar with Ogun, Obatala and Sonponna. Ultimately however, my interest is with the drumbeats. I’m no religious expert.
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