My Encounter With Mami Water- Victor Uwaifo (Video)

Late Veteran Nigerian music guru, Sir Victor Uwaifo had narrated an encounter he had with a mermaid he met at a Lagos beach in 1966.

According to the late singer, he met the mermaid in 1966 and he used the experience to form the lyrics of his popular hit song – Guitar Boy.

Below is the video of his narration.

Meanwhile, Sir Victor recently claimed some months before his death that he still enjoys his youthful age because he hasn’t changed at all as he talked about his childhood adventures and other events.

Reads excerpts from the interview below;

Many know you as an energetic musician in your youthful years. Would you say turning 80 has changed that?
Nothing has changed. I am still as fit as a fiddle.

What are the most memorable events of your childhood you can never forget?
I remember flying kites, going to swim at Ikpoba River in Benin City, shooting catapults with precision and bringing down every bird within sight. I also remember making toys, including aircraft and cars, using foil paper from cigarettes to build the models, covers for tyres and a reward of £1 given to me by a white man who saw my toy aircraft along our street. It looked like it was on a runway and about to take off in a windy storm. I made my first acoustic guitar with plywood, trap wire for the strings, sardine can openers as tuning pegs and bicycle spokes for frets. I also drew on any available papers at my disposal.

Do you have any near-death experience as a child or youth that you can share?
I was once electrocuted during a show in Warri, Delta State, in 1969, at Lido Nightclub. Sunny Okosun (God bless his soul) was in my band as my rhythm guitarist. I was trapped on the floor due to an electric short circuit during my acrobat display. But God’s favour was upon me and I survived the accident. God used (the late) Sunny Okosun to raise the alarm and the power was switched off.

There have been concerns about what music in Nigeria used to be and what it is now. Are you worried about the quality of music in the country now?
I have lived through 10 generations. Time changes, things change and there is nothing one can do about it. In the past, music was thorough. There were music teachers in primary schools and pupils were encouraged to join the choir. Up-and-coming musicians joined bands to learn how to play music. This is what we call apprenticeship, which includes tonic sol-fa notations or the rudiments of music. Time after time, the younger ones lost interest, especially when digital technology changed the equation. The invention of the computer compounded the challenges in the music industry. It killed talent and encouraged mediocrity. There is no more creativity (other) than copy and paste. It is as bad as setting examination questions and supplying the answers on the same question sheet. Your guess is as good as mine.

Radio, electronic and social media platforms are not helping matters. They seem to encourage and calibrate mediocrity and downgrade credibility. Anybody who wants to do music should learn how to play one or two musical instruments. For example, I have graduates from Victor Uwaifo Academy of Music. There are some in the Army and police bands.

How many musical instruments can you play?
I play several musical instruments like the classical guitar, electric guitar, flute, alto and tenor saxophone, baritone sax, soprano sax, piano and percussions. I write scores on a music manuscript sheet. I sight-read, compose and arrange songs. Music is a serious business. The fact that you can open your mouth to sing does not make you a musician, the same way playing street football does not make you a footballer and arguing does not make you a lawyer. You can speak English but that does not make you a journalist. Driving a car does not make you a mechanic or a pilot. You must train to become a professional. The young ones are too much in a hurry. The heights that great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight.