FOR UWAIFO, THE BEAT GOES ON

Victor Uwaifo, sculptor, visual artist and ‘guitar boy’ of highlife music, dies, aged 80

When a great musician passes on, the music does not stop. Instead, the beat often gets louder and resonates more in its timelessness. This much can be said of Sir Victor Efosa Uwaifo, the great high life artist who died last week. Born in Benin city on 1st March 1941, Uwaifo was among Nigeria’s highlife greats of all times. His passage, not long after Victor Olaiya, marks the beginning of the end of the musical tradition which featured the likes of Rex Jim Lawson, Stephen Osadebay, Victor Olaiya, Bala Miller, Bobby Benson, Eddy Okonta and a host of others. This was an authentic African genre that united the whole of West Africa in a fluid cultural canvas.

Throughout his glorious career, Uwaifo struck his distinctive identity by bringing into the thriving highlife tradition an authentic streak. His authenticity derived from his instant ability to fuse his Edo ethnic tradition with the prevailing African urban rhythm that resonated across the continent from the mid-1950s to the 1970s. Within that musical tradition, Uwaifo’s electric guitar and very contemporary themes struck an electrifying immediacy that brought in a younger segment of the audience. Unlike his older contemporaries, he subjected the leisurely pulsating rhythm of the highlife tradition to constant experimentation and innovation. In the process, he was restlessly expanding the frontiers of the original highlife tradition.

The creative restlessness and experimentation by Uwaifo were the expression of a certain inner versatility. As a musician, he was a multi-talented instrumentalist. He was first and foremost a distinguished electric guitarist, the indisputable ‘Guitar Boy’ of Nigerian highlife music. His exhilarating and distinctive string compositions and arrangements gave us such classics as ‘Guitar Boy’ and ‘Joromi’, tunes that were instant hits in their time and have remained timeless and classical features of Nigeria’s highlife lore. In addition, he was a flutist, a saxophonist, pianist, and percussionist.

As a song writer, Uwaifo combined the poet’s attention to thematic relevance with a certain attention to the musician’s ear for cadence and audience appeal. Above all else, he was a vocalist whose youthful voice combined with his stirring string arrangements which energised both listeners and live concert audiences. He sang in Edo, English and Pidgin. In live performances, Uwaifo came across as youthful, vibrant, and energetic. That youthful energy earned him the followership of a younger fan base as distinct from the usual ageing audience of the traditional highlife genre. Uwaifo quickened the pace of highlife and in the process made it less predictable and trans generational.

What particularly stood Uwaifo apart from the rest was that his creativity transcended the various artistic genres. He was a sculptor, visual artist, fabricator, and inventor. He invented a personalised guitar which he went ahead to construct and produce a prototype. He insisted on adding his personal creative touch to both the design of his home and even his automobiles. In recognition of Uwaifo’s versatility, the University of Benin appointed him a professor of creative arts to give him the opportunity to share his creative talents and insights with the younger generation and the academic community. Similarly, the Edo State government once appointed him a Commissioner for Arts and Culture to give the wider community the benefits of his artistic vision and spirit of service.

Victor Uwaifo never really retired from either his music or his multiple creative undertakings. Even in his late 70s, he occasionally collaborated with younger musicians in ventures that led to very contemporary tracks that became instant hits. As news of his demise spread across the nation, the air waves announced his passing with nostalgic musical tributes of his trademark tunes and tracks.

May God comfort the family he left behind.