By Esther Onyegbula

A United Kingdom-based Nigerian folk artist, Omolara Seweje, has warned that African folk performances are at risk of extinction in the diaspora due to poor investment, inadequate institutional support and a growing tendency to undervalue the craft.

Seweje, popularly known as Olori Seweje, raised the concern in an interview with Vanguard, where she noted that African folk art forms such as ewi recitals, chanting and other traditional performances are gradually fading among Africans living abroad.

According to her, the decline is largely driven by the lack of recognition for folk performances as professional art forms, with many diaspora audiences expecting performers to showcase their craft without remuneration.

“Back home in Nigeria, people pay for these services such as recitals of ewi, chanting and other folk arts, but here in the diaspora it is a challenge. People want performers to showcase this art form for free. These are crafts that are learnt and practised professionally, and folk artists expect to get paid,” she said.

Seweje stressed that African folk performers play a critical role in preserving cultural heritage and projecting African narratives in foreign spaces, warning that neglecting them could lead to the gradual erasure of African identity among future generations born outside the continent.

“Performers of this art form are preserving culture and elevating African voices in the diaspora. It is something that must be encouraged because if performers don’t perform, nobody is going to uphold our culture for us, and our African story and heritage will just fade away,” she added.

She further argued that in an increasingly polarised global environment, there is an urgent need to formally recognise and standardise African folk art as a distinct and significant art form, comparable to oral literature and other globally acknowledged cultural expressions.

The folk artist called for stronger engagement with African thought leadership groups and cultural institutions in the diaspora to create frameworks that would support, regulate and sustain folk performances.

“African folk art should be recognised as a distinct art form, just like oral literature, and standards should be looked into in collaboration with African thought leadership groups to ensure that it is preserved and performers are encouraged to do more,” she said.

Seweje also urged Africans in the diaspora not to lose touch with their roots, noting that citizenship in Western countries does not erase African identity.

“We might live in the Western world, but we must not forget home and where we come from because home is still a part of us. Even when we become citizens, we would still be regarded as citizens of African descent,” she said.

She emphasised that sustaining African folk art requires deliberate efforts, including embracing traditional performances at cultural events and empowering artists by paying for their craft.

“We must not let our art perish. One of the ways to preserve it is by embracing and promoting our folk art whenever we can and empowering performers by paying for their craft,” Seweje added