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Damilola Peter Olatade, Lecturer, Lagos State University

King Sunny Adé at 80: six decades of Nigerian musical innovation, global acclaim and cultural preservation

Sunday Adeniyi Adegeye, known as King Sunny Adé, is 80 this year. He has devoted more than 60 years of his life to influencing Nigeria’s popular music and promoting the unique sounds of jùjú music.

Jùjú is a Nigerian musical tradition that combines intricate rhythms, percussion, guitars, talking drums, call-and-response and Yoruba oral culture. It’s not only entertainment but a vehicle for expressing cultural identity, transmitting proverbs and praise traditions, and social life commentary.

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