A group of Lagos-based artists is using experimental sound to address what they call the normalisation of challenges in Nigeria.
The Lagos Sound Artists Collective (LSAC) held a performance, Echoes and Balance, at the J. Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History in Lagos on Sunday.
The event aimed to offer a communal space for emotional release and social reflection through sound, blending indigenous instruments with modern sound technology.
“We’re turning sound into a tool for healing and protest,” said Tosin Oyebisi, a member of the LSAC.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the performance was not about entertainment but confronting everyday burdens.
“People are carrying a lot—cost of living, insecurity, traffic. We’ve become numb to it.
“Through sound, we create space to reflect and possibly reconnect with what we’ve suppressed,” Oyebisi said.
Director of the J. Randle Centre, Qudus Onikeku, described the experience as “sound as material, not information.”
He said, “It’s not what you hear but what you feel. The sound becomes a personal message to each listener.”
He said the performance encouraged internal conversations shaped by individual memories and experiences.
Another artist, Olatunde Obajeun, said LSAC was created to support Nigerian sound artists and expand their reach globally.
“People need to recognise sound art as valid and valuable. We want to build that audience,” Obajeun said.
The event featured agogo, dundun, djembe, bata drums, and body percussion, fused with electronic sound machines.
Audience members were invited to actively participate in the immersive sonic performance.
NAN reports that a sonic journey involves using sound — through music or soundscapes — to calm the mind and energise the soul.
The artists said they would continue to use sound as a powerful form of resistance, reflection and connection in Nigeria’s challenging climate.
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