JOURNALS

ABSTRACT

The moral decadence in Africa is a serious concern and it needs urgent attention. This moral degradation has led to the breakdown of moral value systems among the teeming population in Africa. The consequences of moral breakdown among active Africans is monumental and this has led to current African insecurity problems, corruption in almost all sectors of the economy, family infidelity and divorces, examination malpractices in all levels of educational institutions, immorality and prostitution, and other social vices that have engulfed the African nations. To resuscitate this ugly social menace and prevent it from further spreading, the instrumentality of African art forms has been suggested to be engaged. This paper therefore recommends African music (ethnic music) as a veritable tool for education, enlightment, awareness and counsel about immoral lifestyles and moral virtues. The paper opines that one of the ways to rescue this moral depravity and degeneration is the reinvigoration of the musical culture of moral impartation, since music has the cognitive capacity to elicit emotions capable of forming attitudes and molding character. The paper therefore recommends that ethnic music in Africa be reinvigorated to impart moral messages to African listeners, as ethnic music is the music of the people, by the people, for the people. The paper uses selected Idoma ethnic musics that have been engaged in imparting moral value to Idoma societies as an example. Adopting the descriptive survey research design, the study used stratified sampling technique to investigate 400 out of a target population 1,040,449 sample size. The result of the investigation shows that music has role to play in moral impartation. The research was carried out in all the seven local government areas of the Idoma nation to ascertain the proof of Idoma ethnic music in moral impartation. The paper recommends musical principles and strategies to use in order to impart moral values, such that could make the African continent a peaceful, safe, secure, trusted environment devoid of uncertainty and a better, attractive place to live.