Female Musicianship: Yorùbá Music as Catalyst for Women's Development and Social Change

Abstract

Yorùbá music, rich in oral traditions and cultural expressions, has long served as a medium for social commentary and identity formation. The study examined the fluidity of gender roles and the deconstruction of fixed identities through lyrical content and performative acts of female musicians. The study was guided by JuditButler'ser post-structural feminist theory. The primary data for the study include the recorded albums of selecte artistses on audio CD, live plays, purposivconversation,on and participant observation. The content and context of selected songs and active role performances of Bàtílì Àlàkẹ́, Sàláwà Àbẹ̀ní, Ìyábọ̀ Àwẹ̀ró, Comfort Ọmọ́gẹ̀, Halimat Ọmọwúrà and Ṣọlá Allyson-Ọbáníyì were employed to deconstruct the patriarchal gender norms prevalent in Yorùbá music. The secondary data were obtained from books, journals, published and unpublished theses, archives and internet sources. Findings revealed but also Yorùbá music not only reflects but actively reshapes socio-cultural attitudes, offeringresistance,tforms for self-expression, resistance and visibility. Female musicians strategically employ indigenous idioms, spiritual symbolism and personal narratives to criconsciousness, articulate feminist consciousness and foster communal solidarity. The paper concludes that Yorùbá music serves as a dynamic tool for challenging hegemonic structures and fostering inclusive cultural discourse. It recommended increased scholarly attention to indigenous musical forms as agents of feminist activism and the promotion of gender-equitable policies that support women’s participation in cultural production.