Ikwokirikwo (''Ikwokilikwo'') is a high-tempo style of

Igbo highlife Igbo highlife is a contemporary musical genre which combines highlife and Igbo traditional music. It first started off in the southeast region of Nigeria, during the 1920s in Lagos. The genre is primarily guitar-based music, with rare characteris ...

music influenced by

Ogene Ogene is a style of Igbo music consisting of, and taking its name from, the ogene instrument, which is a large metal bell.

, which gives the style its fast-paced signature. The style emerged in the early 1970s. It was popularized by the Oriental Brothers and later by Kabaka Guitar Band. It was pioneered by Oliver De Coque and

Prince Nico Mbarga Nico Mbarga (1 January 1950 – 23 June 1997), better known as Prince Nico Mbarga, was a Cameroonian-Nigerian highlife musician, born to a Nigerian mother and a Cameroonian father in Abakaliki, Nigeria.Biafran war The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Nigerian–Biafran War or the Biafran War, was a civil war fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a secessionist state which had declared its independence f ...

there was a hunger amongst the Igbo people to move on from the war. Ikwokirikwo came from this desire in the early 70s. Ikwokirikwo was much different from the somber sound of the Igbo highlife music which dominated the era before and presided during the war. The uptempo beat was one which needed the listener to get up and dance. Though Ikwokirikwo is heavily influenced by the

ogene Ogene is a style of Igbo music consisting of, and taking its name from, the ogene instrument, which is a large metal bell.

music, this style of music also incorporates other Igbo rhythms into the guitar chords. like many other African musical styles of its era It immediately later incorporated other musical styles from other parts of Africa like

Benga music Benga is a musical genre, genre of Kenyan popular music. It evolved between the late 1940s and late 1960s, in Kenya's capital city of Nairobi. In the 1940s, the African Broadcasting Service in Nairobi aired a steady stream of soukous, South A ...

Soukous Soukous (from French '' secousse'', "shock, jolt, jerk") is a genre of dance music from Congo-Kinshasa and Congo-Brazzaville. It derived from Congolese rumba in the 1960s, becoming known for its fast dance rhythms and intricate guitar improv ...

Makossa Makossa is a Cameroonian style of urban music. Like much other late 20th century music of Sub-Saharan Africa, it uses strong electric bass rhythms and prominent brass. In the 1980s makossa had a wave of mainstream success across Africa and to a ...

. Etymology The term Ikwokirikwo in Igbo culture is said to be an ancient mythical Igbo dance when a lady lures a warrior with her dance. In terms of Igbo highlife, the first use of the term was by Ikenga Super Stars. They introduced the term in their 1975 album in the track ‘Ikenga in Africa’ in a Sebene-like chant essentially giving the style of music its name.

References

Igbo music Music of Nigeria {{Africa-music-stub