Augustine Miles Kelechi, popularly known by his stage name Tekno is a Nigerian musician, producer dancer, and performer. He began learning to play the guitar from a tender age and has mastered the art. He enrolled for a music school at the age of 18. He has been in the music scene since 2012. His songs are inspirational hand have a strong message embedded in them.
'Rara' by Tekno, is a satire that critiques the ills of Nigerian society. The word 'rara' is a Yoruba word meaning "no." In this satire, he criticizes the absence of basic amenities in a country with abundant resources. He laments on how politicians take projects supposed to alleviate the living conditions of the masses and squander the monies meant for the project.
The song reflects a 'suffering and smiling society' where all manner of injustices are meted out to the people in the name of politics.
My country people
Them they toku toku
Them just they parambulate
Rarararararara
Eh so so story, story every day
Nepa no bring light o Nepa no bring light o
Generator won tear my ear generator won tear my ear
Plenty greedy man plenty greedy man for there o
Take project o, forget Na the matter
He calls on his countrymen to disregard the mouthy politicians because they are known for much talk and less action. They give lots of promises without work. They come up with various stories as to why a project failed. They end up with blames from all angles. In the end, the project is abandoned. NEPA refers to the establishment in charge of distributing electricity. This establishment does not live up to expectations despite the huge sum of money spent on it by successive governments. They loot the funds and take them to more developed countries and invest there. Citizens are left at the mercy of generators.
Invest E for your country o
Make it a better place
Spend the money for your country o
Make it a better place
Forget about the big things o So make we talk about the small things o
He further admonishes everyone to invest in their countries and make it a better place. If your country is developed, investors and tourists will troupe in. Capital flight has been an issue with developing countries, but with local investments, the economy can boom.
Music, like every other tool for social change, is effective. While people dance to the beat and echo the lyrics, the message is passed in a joyous tone. Satiric music has been in the music scene from the word go. In subsequent articles, I would focus on satirical musicians all over the world and how impactful their music has been.
