Dung Chollom and Berom Ethnic Popular Music

Abstract

Ethnic popular music has been a hallmark of African traditional music culture. Sometimes referred to as “consumption songs” (Fabbri, Musiikki: Musicology in the 3rd Millennium, 2, 72–92, 2010, p. 76), popular music satisfies basic emotional and cultural needs of both the performer and audience. Similar to other cultures in Nigeria, the Berom people who inhabit the Jos-Plateau area in Nigeria perform their ethnic popular music within contexts that satisfy socio-cultural needs. Dung Chollom was a master Berom popular musician who projected Berom musical culture through his music. As a cultural representative of the Berom people, he has performed within and beyond the Jos-Plateau in Nigeria. However, literature on popular music has often overlooked the contribution of ethnic popular music artistes where ever they are found. Hence for Dung Chollom, there are no musicological documentations of his music that evidence his contributions to Berom music culture and the Nigerian musical space. This study, therefore, examines his musical career vis-à-vis contributions to musical and social development among the Berom people. The study employs ethnomusicological methods of interview, collection of recorded music and review of relevant literature to obtain necessary data for this research. The researchers found that his music contributed immensely to the growth of music festivals among the Beroms and the moulding of political opinion among his people. Historical musicology of this nature is central to developing African musical education that would promote indigenous musical practice and identity.