Lagos — A Jazz musician, Diana Bada, on Monday described jazz as Nigeria's greatest export which had promoted bilateral relations among indigenous and foreign practitioners of the music, arts and culture industry.
Bada, who made the remark in an interview in Lagos, said that jazz music had developed and spread all over the world.
She said that the music had also promoted national, regional and local interaction and married different genres of music together.
According to her, jazz can be described as Nigeria's greatest cultural achievement and export to the world, having given a powerful voice to what Nigeria is.
"It tells the story of the nation and unites the people across regional and national boundaries.
"The music has always made powerful statements about freedom, creativity and Nigeria's identity at home and abroad," she said.
Bada described jazz music as a unique expression, a life experience and human emotion, adding that it chronicled the history of a people.
"Jazz is not the result of choosing a tune, but an idea that is created first in the mind and extended to the people, as music.
"Music, art and culture are essential parts of the human experience," Bada said.
She, however, said that in recent times, Nigerian music was being played, studied and taught at private and public institutions all around the world.
Bada described her music as a combination of hip hop, afro, jazz, salsa, R&B and others.
"I write about emotions, social ills and situations of personal life.
"We have to criticise and express ourselves and correct it through our works," she said.
Jazz music originated at the beginning of the 20th Century from the African-American community of the Southern U.S.
NAN
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