Ayaka Ozubulu – Old Aguata

Aguata is a local government area in Anambra, in the Igbo heartland, and anyone with family ties to that part of the East will recognise the name at once. The word old adds a layer. It suggests a time before the roads were tarred and the new buildings went up, the Aguata of grandparents, village squares and stories told after dinner. Nigerians feel this pull strongly. Many of us say “back in the village” in a tone that mixes pride with longing, and a title like this taps the same feeling.

What I find interesting is the contrast between the two artists’ places. Ayaka Ozubulu carries the name of another Anambra town, so a record named after a neighbouring area reads like a conversation between towns, the way people from nearby communities compare festivals, dialects and food. I will not guess how the record is built or what it says about the place, and I will leave the details of the sound to the listener. Old Aguata also works as a title for anyone who has left home and still carries it in their speech.

It suits the long drive back east in December, when the road narrows, the air changes and familiar names start appearing on signboards.