On Monday, July 22, Pa Gentle Mike Ejeagha, a folklore music legend gained new waves of fame as his timeless highlife song, Gwo Gwo Gwo Ngwo went viral on social media.
Many thanks to Brain Jotter, the decades-old song has experienced a remarkable resurgence on TikTok and other social media platforms.
Now, many people are creating versions of the Gwo Gwo Gwo dance challenge.
Mike Ejeagha is now 93 years old and he released the song in 1983.
The song’s deep meaning and rich representation of Igbo culture have resonated with today’s generation, propelling it to viral status.
The Story
You see, the resurgence of this old hit did not come by mistake, in fact, it came at a good time.
The story behind this song hold great significance, especially during this period.
Like every folklore song, Gwo Gwo Gwo Ngwo tells a story, one with many moral lessons to learn.
The song is an enchanting Igbo folklore tune that narrates the story of Enyi (the elephant) and Mbe (the tortoise).
In this tale, the cunning tortoise outsmarts the powerful elephant and sells him to the king, there by securing the hand of the princess in marriage.
The king had vowed to give his daughter as a wife to any animal who could bring the elephant to him.
All the animals in the forest tried all they could to capture the elephant to the palace, but the elephant defeated them all.
The Tortoise And The Elephant
Small tortoise decided to give it a shot.
He embarked on the journey and like every other animal, he met the elephant.
Instead of battling with the elephant like others, the tortoise decided to apply wisdom.
He told the elephant that the king wanted to see him at the palace.
He decorated the elephant like a VIP, leaving the elephant no choice but to follow him.
On getting close to the palace, the tortoise told the elephant that he needed to put a rope around it, so it would look like he was ushering him as a VIP into the palace.
Pleased by this treat, the elephant agreed.
And boom, that was how the tortoise stormed the palace with the huge elephant.
It was when the tortoise got his reward that the elephant realise that he was tricked.
The tortoise is a recurrent figure in Igbo folklore, often depicted as clever and shrewd.
Lessons
The song’s catchy chorus, “Enyi Na Aga, Gwo Gwo Gwo Ngwo,” reflects the tortoise’s triumphant deceit as he leads the Elephant to the king.
Now, let’s relate this story to our everyday lives.
The tortoise stands as a clear example that in most cases, strength is not all that is needed.
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He teaches us that we must also apply wisdom in our dealings.
Also, in our everyday lives, there is a tortoise trying to trick and outsmart us.
Deceit in relationships and in many love affairs, even in marriage.
Even in business, people trick and outsmart each other.
It is important that we get to know people and their true intentions.
