Break open the best champagne, sit back and experience the contemporary appeal of Dikans Asamba on his newest project Many Reasons.
Dikans brings home a delicious variety of neo Afrobeat flavour going above and beyond to sincerely flatter late afrobeat legend – Fela Anikulapo Kuti in his rendition. Many Reasons winks at you as a cocktail of afrobeat and soul corked in that kind of sheer activity only an indulgent singer can pull off.
In this song, Dikans is unapologetically afrocentric, the rhythm section is undiluted, the bass is unmuted and the drums are not silent as he weaves a powerful story about the crucible of a devoted father, an abiding faith in education, the dignity of labour and the fortitude of a mechanically minded modest girl.
Dikans
The song is a tribute to faceless and nameless Nigerians, especially fathers who toil day and night, in rain and shine, for better and for worse to give their children fundamental education.
It is an advocacy for girl child education and also encourages women to get involved in leadership. In a tangling web of images and the pop culture bandwagon, Many Reasons is a good song for anyone who is desirous of triumphing against all odds.
“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the host of heaven and earth will pause to say, “Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.” These are the words of Martin Luther King Jr., regarding the dignity of labour.
Dikans portrayal of the painstaking excellence of the vulcanizer in Many Reasons shows that all labour that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance.
Many Reasons reinforces the notion that education empowers; knowledge is power. This insight is at least four centuries old, formulated by philosopher Francis bacon during the Enlightenment.
Knowledge is power and education is the fundamental precondition for political development, democracy, and social justice. This can be seen each day in global affairs, but perhaps most poignantly in recent history through the Arab Spring.
Apart from defining the live of young people, education empowers one to change their lives, their community and the world. It empowers people to develop personally and become politically active.
The second Millennium Development Goal specified that all human beings should have access to a basic education.
Taking it a notch further, Dikans uses Many Reasons to sustain the interest of parents and other family members in girl child education.
Itoro’s father ‘pump pump tyre’ and enrolls her in nursery school, she proceeds to primary school, then secondary school, graduates from University, and serves her fatherland.
There is still a decrease in girls’ enrollment, retention and completion of Senior Secondary School. In some part of the country the girl child is shortly married off after puberty (12 -13 years) and this is the period when most of them are expected to transit to Secondary School.
Social cultural patterns, religious misconception and poverty should not hamper parents from sending their girls to school. Many Reasons is telling you to move up, take authority and take over.
It tells you to increase your signal strength and expand your sphere of influence. The Vulcanizer’s dutiful voice keeps reminding his daughter ‘…you must to rule naija…’ education has built Itoro’s confidence and empowered her to be a responsible member of society. Having hard the skills, information and self esteem needed to be a better parent, worker and citizen, the time for her to ‘rule naija’ is now.
Now is the time to connect the dots, vie for elective positions, play ball at corporate boardrooms, skyrocket to varying levels of achievement in business and politics and play roles to shape Nigeria.
‘Itoro’ must rise up with an amazing strength of mind, body and soul, which will distinguish her, sustain her and prompt the whole world to envy her just like; Dr. Uduak Udom, Ekaete Unoma Akpabio, His Lordship Idongesit Ntem Isua, Lady Valerie Ebe, Helen Esuene, Asuama Sydney, Cecelia Essien, Dora Akunyili of blessed memory, Ngozi okonji Iweala, Folorunsho Alakija, His Lordship Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, Florence Ita – Giwa, Adesuwa Oyenokwe, Dr. Stella Okoli, Sarah Jubril, Abike Dabiri, Betty Irabor, Fati Abubakar, Dooshima Yemisi Suswam, Mo Abudu, Tara Fela Durotoye, Ndidi Nwuneli, Toyosi Akerele, Ola Orekunrin, Obiageli Ezekwesili, Sally Mbanefo. She must live up the dream of Patience Jonathan, making her current 35percent affirmative action for women in President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration count.
Dikans does a fabulous job with Many Reasons. He handles the complexity of storytelling with adroitness and his distinctive voice adds to the lyrical groove of this amazing song.
He makes us believe in inventiveness with the same passion he put into his signature pieces, such as Global Singer, Panadol Pikin and Fiaka, which are in order for the songster. Along the way, he has also become more than a just a talented singer.
A smoldering flashback to 2011 when he released his first official single Global Singer to the making of Many Reasons shows that Dikans has turned into a veritable entrepreneur, creatively directing the affairs of Obufaa, his contemporary interior décor company with a Midas touch. Many Reasons is Dikans at his maverick philosophical best – the trademark of a true poet.
Listen to Many Reasons! Click ‘Play’
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