BusinessDay 30 Mar 2018

Friday 30 March 2018
22 BUSINESS DAY
C002D5556
‘I get fulfillment when I am teaching,
training or performing music’
From following her mother to choir practices to becoming an MTNF-MUSON scholarship beneficiary, Fatima Uriame Anyekema has become one of the leading
contralto voices in the Nigerian classical music scene. In this interview with OBINNA EMELIKE, the concert artiste/recitalist who has performed celebrated
operas and oratorios talks about her journey into music, recent admission at University of Notre Dame, US, for Masters in Sacred Music, and expectations.
How was your growing up in Benin?
Benin was just a transition
point for me. My father is
a retired police man, so his
job was the reason for our
movement. I was born in
Jos, Plateau State. From there we moved
to Benin, Edo State where I spent a part
of my childhood. I attended Eweka
Primary School in Benin City. At some
point, my dad was forcefully retired
and to ease the pressure of training
seven children, I had to stay with my
uncle. That is how I found my way
to Delta State where I continued my
secondary school education at Ishagu
College, Ogwashi-Uku between 1992
and 1997. From there, I proceeded to
Ondo State Polytechnic, Owo, where I
studied Accounting for about four years
due to many industrial actions. After
graduation, I moved to Lagos, where
I officially found my love for music, at
least the academic part of it so to speak.
How and when did you encounter
music?
I cannot really remember what my
singing life was before age seven but
from there on, I remember going to
church society meetings with my late
mother, Catherine and she made me
and my friends to start leading songs
during their events. From that point
on, around 1988-1989, I discovered
that I could sing and I kept singing
in church mostly. That period for me
was very interesting because everywhere
singing was taking place, I was
part of it. At some point, I became a
choir mistress at a young age and had
to teach songs to my mates. I had a
mentor then who took interest in
my voice, he would teach me songs
to teach the choir. As little as I was,
I was able to conduct and teach the
choir new songs. That period was
very eventful and interesting. When
I got into secondary school, I did not
sing at all for some strange reasons. I
did not join the choir but then I was a
member of the Scripture Union. So,
when we went to other secondary
schools in Asaba or Ibuzor, I would
sing with my school scripture union
group. It was the farthest I went with
music in secondary school. When
I came back to Benin, I went back
to sing with the choir and I learnt
responsorial psalms because as a
catholic, I had to sing responsorial
psalms and people always commented
favourably.
When I moved to Ondo State, I
stopped singing again and did not join
the school choir. I just faced my studies.
But I still knew I had it in me even
though I did not do anything about it.
Eventually, I moved to Lagos in 2004
for my Industrial Training and I needed
something exciting and different. During
my job search, I found MUSON and
it ignited my passion and interest again.
I never looked back and did not even go
back to complete my HND.
Is there any trace of music in your
family?
My journey into music began when I
started going to the choir with my late
mother, Catherine. Then, as a child, I
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Fatima Uriame Anyekema
and búlúù (blue).
As the outfit formally launches
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Chidinma is a Nigerian singer and
songwriter who rose to stardom in
2010 after winning the third season
of Project Fame West Africa.
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usually attended practices with her at
St. Monica’s Choir in Benin, Edo State.
There are seven of us in the family - six
girls and one boy. Interestingly, four
of my siblings were also in the choir
at that time but then out of all of us,
I was the only one who chose to do
music professionally. If you look at
some other families like the Sowandes’
and so on, you will see that some of
them played the piano, some other
instruments and they studied music
unlike ours, we were just choristers
singing in the choir. At some point in
my life, I decided to take the decision
to study music.
Aside singing, do you play any music
instrument?
I play the piano, I teach the piano too
although I am not quite proficient.
During the Diploma course at MUSON,
I took grade 2 piano lessons and all the
vocal major students were made to
take piano course. When I went back
to University of Lagos for BA in Music,
I had to improve on it. I teach piano to
beginners now. I did other minor musical
instruments like violin, clarinet, but
the piano came in handy.
As well, hair-stylist Gift Ekhile
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Others are Oladayo Odunaro, cine-
As an MTNF scholar, what was that
experience for you like?
The sponsorship support covered my
tuition, buying music books and pocket
allowance. I was grateful for these things
because they really came in handy.
Also, the opportunities that the MTN
Foundation provided for me were huge
because I had the chance to perform on
stages and platforms that would never
have been available if I did not have
a scholarship. MTN Foundation has
been at the centre of driving the renaissance
in Nigeria’s art and music space.
Every year, we have valentine concerts
and recitals that provide exposure to
burgeoning talents. I am grateful for the
association with the brand.
How excited are you with the scholarship
at the University of Notre Dame?
Notre Dame came with a lot of exciting
packages. Until now, I cannot pay my
way through a university in the US, UK
or anywhere in the world. One of my
priests who had studied abroad told me
that there is a school in America that is
tuition free and that they study Sacred
Music but then it is a Catholic school. I
said what do I want to do with sacred
music, I am not planning to become a
reverend sister or a religious personage.
He convinced me that they had masters
in different programmes but I did not
want to have anything to do with sacred
music, so I totally forgot about it.
Things took different turn when I
was graduating from the University of
Lagos. Interestingly, my research work
was on the music of the church in Nigeria.
By the time I finished, the priest
asked me what my plan was and I said
nothing yet and he asked if I had tried
the school he told me about. I was still
not sure if I wanted to do it but along the
line, I got an email. It was a strange happening
because over the years, I have
applied for some competitions abroad
and sometimes, they keep sending
emails as updates. I got an email from
of those organisations, which I applied
matographer and editor, documented
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Ilé-Ilà, which means House of Lines,
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for the competition advertising Notre
Dame University, the same school the
priest told me about and I wondered
why I was being followed. By the time
I read through their propositions, I
realized that asides the scholarship,
they had a lot to offer in terms of the
faculty, staff, sourced materials and
master classes. I am so grateful that
the foundation provided by the MTNF
scholarship has propelled me towards
this new adventure and I am excited at
what the future holds.
What is your favourite genre of
music?
Growing up, I did not know I was a
classical singer. My dad was a collector
of different kinds of music; reggae,
soul, and fuji. I did not come across
jazz in his collection, but he collected
so much music that anytime I go back
home, it hits me that this must be where
I was influenced. As a child, I spent time
listening to music and sometimes I go
back and look through his collections.
I do not have a favourite, I sing classical
music, and I may want to say it is my
best but I enjoy all kinds of music. None
stands out.
How do you make money from
music?
Many people are concerned about this
question. My dad also had this challenge.
When he knew that I was into
music full time, he was worried and
asked how I was coping until in 2013
when I invited him to watch my performance,
that was when he gave his full
blessings. There are a lot of things that
you can do with music. You can teach,
perform, attend workshops; you can
write music and so on. A lot can be done
with music. I get fulfillment when I am
teaching, training or performing music.
Do you have any expectations?
I hope that I will subsequently apply for
a PhD after the programme. That will be
like the ultimate goal.
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