Asharwa International Dancers
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MUSIC AND DANCE IN AFIZERE CULTURE
Afizere people are endowed with different types or kinds of music and dances. The type of music and dance done is however largely dependent on the ocassion at hand or season as well as who is involved.
for instance, the popular Asharwa is for the male youth and mostly done during harvest season or when one of them gets a wife. And the Amata
for female folk mostly done at wedding ceremonies, the aged women burial rites called Issa Abuko and also during harvest season.Interestingly, the Agba music
and dance is an exclusive preserve of the Royalty. The music is played with a well designed horn of the Antelope accompanying the traditional coronation of a
new chief or during the marriage ceremony of a chief. Agba dance is acrobatic styled type called Apanga.
Generallly, the types of music and dance found in Afizere culture:
- Asharwa (male youth flute music and dance)
- Amata (the femanine music and dance)
- Agba (The royal music and dance)
- Agafu (The smaller flute music and dance)
- Itop (similar to Agaufu but a little bit longer)
- Amuse (Music and dance during traditional burial rites of aged men)
- Isaa (Music and dance during traditional burial rites of aged women)
- Izom Agam (music by an instrument made of grass)
- Izom Kakereng (music by instrument made of calabash)
All these music and dances normally features on Igoon Izere day, an occasion done once a year and mostly January 1st attracts dignitries from all works of life
. Peple from far and near, tourists, Afizere play mates, etc makes up the large crowd that day. Notably, today the Asharwa dance have gained so much popularity
and fame not only in Nigeria but all over the world. Worthy of mention is the Asharwa International Dancers, who have travelled to Unoted States of America,
Great Britain, Australia, Germany, South Africa, etc for display of their crowd catching dancing styles alongside the flutes music.
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