"Nigerian Drummer's Music Celebrates Life"
By David Steinberg, Journal Staff Writer
Friday, June 16, 2006
Najite Agindotan, a member of Nigeria's Uhrobo tribe, learned to drum soon after he learned to walk.
"When you were born at the time I was born you didn't have a choice, drumming was all around you," he said in a phone interview from his home in Los Angeles.
That was in the early 1960s in the Mushin neighborhood of Lagos, the capital of Nigeria.
After visiting other West African countries, motivated by his curiosity to investigate other cultures, Najite immigrated to the United States in search of work.
But one day in Los Angeles, he was playing his drums outside his house, a man drove up.
The man was Jimi Solanke, a Nigerian entertainer living in L.A.
"He had on this big African robe, and I recognized him. He said he was driving around trying to find where the Nigerian drumming was coming from. He said, 'I am so glad I found you,' '' Najite recalled.
He hooked up with Solanke's band, African Revue, which performed at major Southern California venues and gave school concerts. From there Najite started his own group, The Rhythms of the Village, which gave school performances. Today he leads the band Olokun Prophecy.
The lyrics of Najite's songs tell about the warfare and political troubles in Nigeria and other African countries. But the music is celebratory. He doesn't see any contradiction in that.
"When we cry we sing. We are given this gift of talent (music) to do good with it," he said. "The songs I grew up listening to tell you of your surroundings. If something is not right, people sing about it."
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