The Many Lives of Beautiful Nubia

Born November 11, 1968, Segun Akinlolu didn’t start out desiring to be great. These days, however, as folk singer Beautiful Nubia, he believes he’s on Earth to touch people in different forms.

Written by Kemi Falodun

Nov 11, 2019

Beautiful Nubia remains one of the few Nigerian artistes who make an effort to collect the experiences of others and add to our national historical record. Photo courtesy of Beautiful Nubia

His eyes are closed under the floodlights pouring over him, face tilted up in stillness as though awaiting a voice from heaven. His head begins to move—slowly, back and forth, and his long locs swing in response. He sings, we sing along. He jumps, he drums. All things pulsate to the beats, prompting; let us clap, let us merry, let us move—hands woven together. The song ends, we scream. We scream, ‘what a feeling!’

Pit Theatre is where the worlds concerned with the language of the body converge. The hall—situated at the Dramatic Arts department in Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife—hosts singers, actors, dancers, both within and outside the institution. Every year, Beautiful Nubia and the Roots Renaissance Band—the band he founded in 1998 when he made a call for young artists interested in being in his backing group—perform here or at the Amphitheatre. They tour Nigerian campuses, bringing songs of love and unity, courage and hope, joy and gracefulness to the students.

What a feeling! What a feeling!

The audience chants at the end of each song. A polysemy: on the one hand, they are proclaiming the wonderment of watching Beautiful Nubia perform and fellowshipping with other like-minds and, on the other hand, they are requesting he perform a song of the same title. Most of them are familiar with his music. But by sharing a space with him that enthralling night in 2014, everyone became awakened. ‘What A Feeling,’ a lovely ballad finally comes on, and who could resist the allure of the chorus—‘Oh, what a feeling / burning me all up / I can’t help myself / Baby I wanna love you’—especially the gentle drawl of ‘love you’? The night ends with lovers, friends and strangers holding hands in a slow, delightful dance.

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About the Author

Kemi Falodun

is a writer based in Lagos. Her writing has been featured in Electric Literature, Saraba Magazine, The Rumpus, and Africa is a Country.

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The Many Lives of Beautiful Nubia

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