OGBU-OJA EZE is a Sun Arts:BEP "guerrilla, open-air, catch-as-catch-can," documentary film by TAM FIOFORI, about a day in the life of a western-educated modern minstrel Mmaduabuchi Gerald Eze a first-class music graduate of Zik University Akwa, who plays the centuries-old Igbo traditional instrument, the OJA.
OGBU-OJA EZE is a Sun Arts:BEP "guerrilla, open-air, catch-as-catch-can," documentary film by TAM FIOFORI, about a day in the life of a western-educated modern minstrel Mmaduabuchi Gerald Eze a first-class music graduate of Zik University Akwa, who plays the centuries-old Igbo traditional instrument, the OJA.
Eze, as an ogbu-oja (Igbo flute-player) talks about his love of this traditional instrument; its use within traditional Igbo society, explains how the Oja is fabricated, demonstrates how various sounds are coaxed out of the Oja and, further talks about his passion to project the Oja as a world-class-accepted musical instrument and, his compelling dream of incorporating the Oja into various genres of global popular music. In this respect he performs traditional Igbo music, Highlife, Jazz, Blues, Classical music; culminating in him playing the Oja with the famous Afrobeat band AYETORO.
This 'spontaneous ' documentary film was initially shot on the same afternoon and evening on the streets in Anthony Village, Surulere, and Freedom Park in Lagos in October 2016 and edited in 2019.